HOSPITAL LEVY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3252, 14 April 1943, Page 5

HOSPITAL LEVY

.538 D IN THE £ THIS YEAR

INCREASE ONLY .062 D IN £

ESTIMATES FOR THAMES BOARD

A levy on all contributing local authorities of .538 d in the £ on the capital value was approved at Tuesday’s meeting of the , Thames Hospital Board when the estimates for 1943-44 were passed. Last year the levy was .476 d in the £, the increase this year being only .062 d in the £. The chairman, Mr P. E. Brenan, reported as follows on the estimates: “I have to bring before you my report on the financial transactions of the board during the year ended March 31, 1943, and to submit for your approval the board’s estimates for the ensuing year. Past Year’s Problems “During the past year we have had to face up to problems, particularly due to shortage of staff and supplies, but these difficulties are almost universal. The staffing problem may be eased if the Department of Health’s plan for a civil nursing reserve is successful and it should do much. to assist institutions which are feeling the effects of loss of staff to the Armed Forces. The problem of supplies will remain a difficult one until the shipping difficulties have been satisfactorily settled. In the meantime, however, thanks to the board’s foresight in laying in adequate supplies to meet further requirements, we have been able to keep the institutions supplied with most, of their needs, not excluding a number •of commodities which are unobtainable on the market to-day. For instance, the board has on hand adequate supplies of surgical dressings to meet requirements for the next two years. Small Surplus “The financial statement of receipts and payments for the year ended March 31. which you have before you discloses that we finished the year with a surplus of £1403 15s 4d of which £489 Ils lid was unexpended capital money and the balance £914 3s 5d unexpended maintenance money. “Thames Hospital: The total provided under this heading is £28,950, as compared with last year’s estimated expenditure of £27,140 and actual expenditure of £27,939 16s 6d. penditure for the ensuing year for the penditure fo rthe ensuing year for the district homes is £9OO, compared with estimated expenditure for last year £l2OO apd actual .expenditure £798 7s Bd.

“Waihi Hospital: The total estimated for next yea? for this hospital is £9BOO compared with £9300 estimated for last year and £9723 Is 4d actually spent. “Paeroa Hospital: The total estimate for next year for this hospital is £l6OO, compared with £l6OO estimated for last year and £1365 8s 3d actually spent. “Coromandel Hospital: The total •estimated for the coming year is £5300, compared ’ with £5300 estimated for last year and £4l'Bo 3s lOd actually spent. “Mercury Bay: The total estimated for Mercury Bay for next year is £l6OO compared with £l4OO estimated for 1942-1943 and £1362 2s 3d actually spent. General Expenditure “There is no item of general expenditure calling for comment, the amounts estimated being in the main, adequate for the amount actually ex-, pended. Fees payable to other boards showed an increase, the actual payment being £l7lO 16s compared with £l5OO estimated. We have allowed the sum of £1750' for the coming year. The amount to be refunded to the public account this year is £979 13s lOd compared with £7OB 17s 2d last year. “The total estimated maintenance expenditure for 1943-1944 is £54,039 13s 10d, an increase on last year’s estimates of £51,558 17s 2d and actual expenditure of £50,104 19s sd. Estimated Receipts “The total estimated receipts for the year 1943-44 amount to £26,843, compared with £26,599 12s lOd estimated for last year, there being a difference of a few pounds only under each heading. The net estimated maintenance expenditure therefore is £27,196 13s lOd and in accordance with the provision of the fourth schedule of the Act this is apportioned between the local authorities and the Consolidated Fund as follows: £132,08 5s 4d levies and £13,988 8s 6d subsidy thereon. The total rateable capital value of the hospital district is £6,575,781 and a maintenance levy of .473 d per £ approximately will produce the required amount cf levy. The total to be

found for both capital and maintenance levies is £15,004 17s 2d, and is met by a levy of .538 d. “The ■ subsidy for capital purposes is as usual £1 for £1 and for maintenance purposes £1 Is 2d for £l. Cost of Occupied Beds “Statistics for the past years show an increase in the number of occupied beds at Thames from 93.9 to 102,5 but the other' institutions’ figures remain static. On the figures produced the daily cost per occupied bed in each institution shows a slight increase on the previous year. 1941-42 1942-43 Thames -- -- 14/6 14/11 Waihi — — 10/H 13/4 Paeroa —- —- 18/7 19/3 Coromandel —- 11/11 12/4 Mercury Bay — 14/4 15/7 “The amount of the Waihi Borough Council’s special contributions this year from Gold Duty Receipts shows a sharp decrease. Last year the contributions amounted to £493 2s 4d, which is 12 per cent, of £4109 9s Bd, whereas for the coming year it is only £236 15s 7d, being 10 per cent, of £2367 15s Hd. “In conclusion, gentlemen, I would like to thank the executive officers of the board and the staffs under their control for their assistance and services during the past year and am sure that with their co-opera 4 ion and with careful stewardship of our finances we should be able to maintain our institutions at their present high levels of efficiency and at the same time keep wi.hin these estimates.