THE HOSPITAL CONTRIBU TIONS.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1911, 21 July 1886, Page 3

THE HOSPITAL CONTRIBU TIONS.

AWATEUE* ROAD BOARD APPEAL. BECISION or the COMMISSIONERS. Yesterday morning Mr Allen, R.M., on behalf of hirostlf ami Messrs Thomas llortou and Cyrus Coulter, Commissioners appointed in tl o Awatere Road Board appeal case delivered the following judgment : “ From the evidence before the Court, jt would appear that the Wairau Board, in levying their contributions in the different districts, have, as they believed, acted slrictly in accordance with the provisions of Sub-Section 3 of Section 22, and with Sections 23 and 24 of the Hos-. !>i al sod Charitable Institutions Act, ISSS, inasmuch as they appear to have determined, first, the total amount of contributions required ; secondly, have declared—that local bodies are liable to contribute ; and thirdly, have appointed the proportion of contribution to bo mad#

by each local body respectively in term 8 of the Act upon the rateable property. In deciding this last point it would appear that they have apportioned the contributions due from such local body at precisely the same rate, viz., ouo-twelfth of a penny in the pound, upon the rateable value of property in each district, without, reference to any other circumstances that mav be said to justly bear upon the matter. It would appear that tbe Wairau Hospital Board have acted under the impression that all districts must of necessity be treated alike. If this be the correct interpretation of the Act, then where would be tbe necessity' for any provision for appeals. The only ground of appeal in that case that could possibly ariso would be in the case of any Hospital Board so far forgetting themselves ag to act directly in contravention of the powers given to them by the Act. No appeal would lie as in this case where each district had been assessed at the same rate per pound on rateable value of property. On carefully looking over the provisions contained in the sections herembefore referred to of the Act of 1880, the Court can only arrive at the conclusion that apparently discretionary power is given to Hospital Boards in this matter, and to use the words of BUb°section 3 of section 22, they may appoint the propor lion of the contribution to be made by each local authority respectively. It can only be inferred from this provision that Hospital Boards may take ioto coneideration the facts and circumstances connected with each particular district, and appoint the proportion of the contribution to be made by each looal authority as they may consider just and right. In this particular case the cast iron rule apparently la’d down by section 2-1 has been followed by the Hospital Board, and each district has been assessed at one-twelfth of a penny in the pound on the rateable value of the property. Against this decision of the Hospital Board the Awatere local body have appealed. A memorandum in a tabulated form has been banded in as evidence by tho appellauts, by which it would appear that in assessing all districts alike on rateable value of proporty, the cost of patients sent to the Hospital by Blenheim wpuld average LI 7s 3d per head, and of the Awatere L 6 5s fid per head, and even greater discrepancies than this appear witli regard to other districts. The Court caD, tli refore, only conclude that the Awatere District had just grounds for their appeal. Wo have gone carefully into facts ai d figures while endeavoring to arrive at a just decision in this ease. We have taken into consideration the rateable value of property, tho population, and as far as such a very uncertain and unreliable matter should be taken into consideration, the number of patients seut from the districts to the Hospital. It is no part of our diuy to establish by our decision to-day a precedent that must control tbe decision of any future Courts of Commissioners that may have to sit to hear appeals of this nature, neither do we pretend for a moment that the principles that have guided us in arriving at our decision today must of necessity be adopted by the various Hospital Boards in appointing tho proportion of contributions to be mado by local bodies for the future. Our duty is simply to say if we consider the amount of contribution levied by the Wairau Hospital and Charitable Aid Board upon the Awatere local authority just or unjbst, When we use the word unjust we do not for a moment wish to imply that we consider tbe Hospital Board Lave deliberately treated tho Awatere local authority with injustice ; but only wish our decision to mean that wo consider that they have been called upon to pay more than they should be called upon to contribute after taking surrounding circumstances into consideration ; and accordingly we decide that the amount be reduced from onetwelfth of a penny to one twentieth on the rateable value of the rateable property in the Awatere District. If our calculations are correct this will reduce tho amount from L 207 Ss 3d to L 124 9s Id.”

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