HOSPITAL RATING.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4870, 14 July 1936, Page 4

HOSPITAL RATING.

Two farmers' organisations of this district on Friday carried resolutions protesting against the present system of raising finance for our hospital and charitable aid system. It was with good reason. As Cr. Boddie at the Waitomo County Council meeting said, the hospital rate is the most unjust that County Councils are called upon to levy; and when an unjust rate of 11-16th of a penny is levied, more than a principle is involved—it is a financial commitment that falls heavily on the farmer. In its resolution the, Central Executive of the Amalgamated Settlers' Association points out that many people who are receiving an adequate wage or salary contribute nothing towards hospital maintenance. The levy is based on the capital value, and if people have no property, they pay no hospital rates, no matter how much they may use the hospitals or what their ability is to pay. ■ Similarly, the valuation system results in the farmer having to pay a far greater proportion than the average man in the town. Mr. Lee at the Waitomo County Council meeting mentioned that though the populations of town and country were approximately equal, Te Kuiti paid a hospital levy of £455 5s 7d and the Waitomo County a levy of £2021 16s sd. Yet presumably if the populations are equal, the use made of the hospitals will also be about equal. An even more striking illustration of the inequity of this tax is that two Counties in the Waikato Hospital Boards' district, Waipa and Waikato, have to contribute £4350 and £4324 respectively to the support of hospitals, whereas Hamilton Borough, with a population of 16,000, contributes only £4165. It is suggested that the hospitals should be financed solely from national sources —at the present time the local bodies contribute £32,084 to the Waikato Board and the

Government -finds a further £27,690. Such action would, of course, mean a lessening of local control, which has several advantages, but the money would come from the people more in proportion to the use they make of hospitals and their ability to pay. If this is not done, at least some move should be made by the Government to see that the burden is more equitably distributed than under the present system of computing its incidence on the capital value whereby the Counties in the Waikato Hospital Board's district contribute £23,361, and Boroughs and Town Boards only £9379.