HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 7 April 1926, Page 9

HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION.

HAWERA BOARD'S POSITION

CURRENT YEAR,’.S LEVY. A special meeting of tlie Hawera Hospital Boards was field tfiis morning. There were present: Messrs. F. Gillanders (chairman), E.. J. Gifford, A. G. Uarcoan, E. A. Washer, A. Jj. Campbell, A. ,T. Wills, J. J, Meildon and G. W. Tayler. The following applications for appointment a,s probationers were referred to ,the matron: E. J. Gross. (Elitham), M. 3>. Kicks (Feilding), J>. G. .Jackson (Normandy), ,S. N. Morgan (Inglewood), I*X M. Davies (Waipukurau), M. D. Henwood (Ararats), G. V. Beale (Hawera). A statement ; of estimates for the year ended March 31, 1926, .and .the result of the year’s working, together with estimates for the ensuing year, was tabled by the secretary. ° Gash in hand .was shown as £2014. Maintenance levies outstanding were £590, and subsidies on maintenance levies outstanding amounted to -£2967. The secretary explained that £2454 of this amount had been claimed since the beginning of .the year, as subsidy on levies received during March. Payment could be expected during the current month. Patients’ payments from aill [souilceisl lamouhted tlo £4320, an increase of £1250 on the amount estimated. This year’s estimate was placed at £3940. Charitable aid recoveries, including old age pensions, were estimated 'at £320. Unclassified receipts' were estimated at- £l5O. The net receipts for the ensuing year were, therefore, estimated at £9983. Dealing with the expenditure, it was shown that hospital maintenance to the end , of the year, estimated' at £9500, .actually' cost £9626. The coming year’s mainitenauce was estimated at” £9500. Charitable aid indoor relief (Old People’s Home) cost-iaist year £515. The sum of £520 was provided for the ensuing year. Outdoor relief,, estimated last, year at £2OOO, had cost £4741 ; this year’s estimate was fixed at £1650. The board’s share of the cost of equipping .and administering the .combined laboratory at New Plymouth was £450 for two years.. Administration (office and .board expenses), estimated previously art ,£1175, had cost £l3Ol, the amount for the current year being estimated at £I4OO. Rents, rates and taxes were estimated a.t £25, a reduction of £3O, as compared with the previous year. Farm expenditure, which was previously estimated at £450, had cost £559. For the ensuing year £SOO .was .provided for. Refund to the public account subsidies overpaid) amounted to £3ll. Interest had been estimated at £4961, and £1549 was expended, the balance being brought forward and- added to the probable requirements for the year , which were set down at £6472. Provision was .made for levies' and subsidies likely ito be outstanding at the end of the year, the amount being estimated .at £3OOO. The secretary explained that although £3558 had ibeen outstanding at the end of the year (March 31), only £3OOO was being estimated for the ensuing year. The total estimated expenditure lor the ensuing year was £25,335. Allowing for the estimated net. receipts of £9983, it required a levy on the contributing local authorities of £7079 and the Government subsidy £7373 ,tq provide itne amount. . ' pile maintenance levy was equal to ,1s 4id in .the £IOO on the rateable capital value of the district, and the subsidy, payable by the Government, wound oe at the rate of 18s s)d in the £ on the amount received tinougii the levy. * Dealing with the capital levy it was shown that £12,300 had to. be provided for. Ibis .could be secured by a levy of £5072 and a capital subsidy on a £ for £ basis of a somewhat similar amount, ‘l'o provide the amount a. levy of 10jd in £IOO on capital rateable value and a subsdy of 20s in the £ would be required. . « The total maintenance and capital levies' Is 4£d and lOid respectively, therefore amounted to 2s 3d. This repesented an increase ol 2d, as compared’ with the year just ended. The chairman stressed that the principal cause of" the increase . was the amount which had to be faced in, interest charges. It could not be expected /"that a new hospital such as that being constructed could be built and the liability paid off in 10 or 11 years’ time without having to meet a big interest bill. The present board was administering affairs in an abnormal time. The new building was costing approximately £90,000, to repay which the board 'had to find the sum of approximately £4OOO annually. The work, however, could not have been avoided, and the action had been endorsed •by Dr. M. MacEachern, regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities in hospital administration, and Dr. T. H. Valintine, Inspector-General of Health, had on the occasion of his inspection .prior to the commencement of the new work pointed out that the requirements of the district rendei’ed it necessary immediately. The chairman further considered that when the ratepayers realised the importance of the work they would 1 be satisfied with what was-being done. Before the new work was undertaken the hospital rate was one of the most favourable in the Dominion. Even allowing for_ the contemplated increase it was lower than the New Plymouth rate of 3s, and was below the average for the Dominion. He further pointed out that the daily average of occupied beds had ’increased during the last 10 vears at the rate of 10 per cent annuqlly. Whereas it had ' been 20. the average was now 52. Replying to Mr Campbell, the clerk stated that the population of the area, was, at present 20,000. _ This, Mr Campbell pointed out, gave Further evidence of the necessity for the work undertaken by the hoard. Since 1913 the population had increased from 14,850 to the present figure, an increase of over 25 per cent. On the motion of the chairman, seconded by Mr Wills, the resolution striking a levy of 2s 3d in the £IOO j was approved.