HOSPITAL BOARDS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 195, 17 July 1935, Page 8

HOSPITAL BOARDS

COUNTY REPRESENTATIONS. QUESTION OF LEVIES. Further discussion was heard in reference to the representation of local bodies on the Palmerston North Hospital Board when the Manawatu County Council, yesterday, received a letter from the Pohaiigina County Council reviewing the position which had arisen regarding ns representation oil the board due to the expansion of Palmerston North and the allocating of another representative on the board to the city. Hie council requested the Manawatu County Council's co-operation in its protest to the Department of Health against any contributing body to the hospital funds being deprived of direct representation on the board. “I think there is no doubt that we should support this,” remarked the chairman (Cr. AV. E. Barber), in discussing the letter. Palmerston North, he added, was a great centre and destined to become a- much larger city than it was at present. It was therefore obvious that with the natural development ot the city the time would come when there would only be one representative on the board for the whole of the counties, and this could hardly be allowed to eventuatCr. j. H. Perrett considered the Act required amending so as to provide for no taxation without representation. He also favoured supporting the Pohangina County Council Without further discussion the council agreed to the chairman’s motion to support the request regarding hospital representation, At tills stage mention was made by Cr. A. N. Morcom of the cost of hospital maintenance He referred to the efForts Cr. J. Boyce had made to have art unions lor hospital upkeep brought about, adding that up to the present nothing definite had been achieved. The chairman: One of the difficulties is that the hospital boards are afraid that the Government will cut the subsidy down if money is received from art union sources. Continuing, Cr. Morcom said he would like the council to support the art union remit when it came beioie the Dominion conference of the farmers’ Union, submitting a motion in that direction. .. The chairman informed the council that lie had received advice from Ci. Bovce that, owing to the need tor extra buildings at the Hospital, the local bodies were being saddled with an extra levy on the annual levy that had already been notified. Also, said tbe chairman, Cr. Boyce had told him that the Hospital was very overcrowded at present. In seconding the motion, Cr. D. N • Reid said that if matters went on as they were at present with the hospital rate, the time would come when it would be higher than the general rate of the countv. He considered that support of Cr. Boyce’s efforts was the best thing for the council to do, and if some of the money that was already going out of the country could be obtained in the interests of the sick and needy much would have been done. . . . . The chairman gave it as his opinion that a hospital art union would be very much on the lines of a chinch bazaar. People went to the bazaar and spent their money in the interests of the church and the same would be done in regard to the hospital art unions. Even those people who were opposed to gambling in the ordinary sense were agreeable to this means of supporting hospitals. Until recently, the proceeds from art unions had gone towards helping racing clubs, etc., out of their financial troubles and the public had ugh J objected to supporting this procedure. Further, the Government had been getting a big share out of the art unions, otherwise the sneaker could not see that they would have been allowed to continue. Referring to the hospital levy as it affected tbe county, the chairman said that prior to the meeting the finance committee had authorised the payment of £BOO to the Palmerston North Hospital Board as a quarter share of the council’s levy of £JAJU for the vear. This amount out ot a total rate of £17.000 was a staggering impost for the council to contend with, the chairman added, but the latest word was that it was to be increased. Without further discussion the council carried the motion proposed by Cr. Morcom.