Hospital Finance

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 202, 10 August 1927, Page 6

Hospital Finance

INCREASED SUBSIDY THIS YEAR. NATIVE RATES. (Special to “Tribune.”) Parliamentary Buildings, Aug. 10. Reference was made oy the Minister of Health, the Hon. J. A. Young, in the House of Representatives yesterday to the question of hospital finance and subsidies. The moneys which a Hospital Board were required to levy against local authorities, said the Minister, were allocated throughout a hospital district over the several local bodies within the district in proportion to the captal value of the ratetable land within the local bodies’ districts. It had been found that while certain land which appear ed on the valuation roll was rateable in theory, in practice the local authority was unable to collect the rates. This applied more particularly to some of the counties in which there were large areas of Maori lands. It did seem unfair that European settlers should have to carry the burden because native land did not bear any shore. Mr D. Jones (Ellismere): Why should tfre land be liable and income escape for hospital rates? Mr Young said the proposal referred to by Mr Jones was novel. It had only recently been put forth, and the speaker did not think it would be practicable. The principle in operation in this country was that, wealth paid on capital value. MEDICAL TREATMENT 01’ MAORIS. With regard to the medical treatment of Maoris, the Minister said that, last year the expenditure by the Health Department under this Head was £l4 691. In regard to rating Maori lands the position was that tne local authority in a district where there was native land could, if it was satisfied that it could not collect rates from the natives, apply for authority to exclude the native lands from the district rate roll. Instead of the whole liability for native rates being borne by the few Europeans in the local district, it would then be spread over the whole of the hospital district. INCREASED SUBSIDIES. Dealing with subsidies, the Minister said there would be an increase this year. The capital and maintenance requirements of boards this year would be £145,000 more than last year. Half of this money would', have to come from consolidated revenue and the other half from local bodies. With regard to capital expenditure, the Minister said that the Department and he had urged boards to economise, and this year they had put off expenditue on new buildings to the extent of £250,000.