HOSPITAL LEVIES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 10 August 1928, Page 9

HOSPITAL LEVIES.

A CHANGE IN METHOD. MINISTER CALLING A CONFERENCE. (Bv Telegraph—Special to The Star.) Q WELLINGTON, Aug. 9. Answering criticism of a general nature regarding levies for hospital and charitable aid purposes, the Minister of Health, the Hon. J. A. Young in the House of Representatives to-day, forecast a conference of the contributing authorities for the purpose of discussing a change in method of assessment. In his opinion most of the complaints related to the amounts levied. The cost of the Dominion’s hospitals was two millions annually, and if they were made free, as some members advocated, it would mean another million and would cut oft vlountary contributions, which totalled about £25,000. A suggestion had been made that hospital levies should he based on a combination of rateable value and population, and he hoped to bring about a conference between municipal and rural interests to ascertain if they would agree on any revision of the basis of ■assessment. It would only relate to the method of finding the money, which had to be collected from local bodies in any case, because the Government would not change' the general system of hospital administration. It was prepared’ to facilitate a. fairer adjustment as between the country and town districts.