HOSPITAL FINANCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 109, 8 April 1936, Page 4

HOSPITAL FINANCE.

LOTTERIES NOT FAVOURED. Recently, the Manawatu County Council carried a resolution urging that the present system of financing public hospitals be augmented per medium of State lotteries, and in an endeavour to secure suport for its viewpoint circulated local bodies in the district. At yesterday’s meeting of the council seven local bodies forwarded their replies, but of these one only, the Kiwitea County Council, signified its support. The Feiiding Borough Council, the Oroua, Kairanga, and Horowhenua County Councils advised their opposition to the lottery idea, although the Oroua County Council advised that it supported national health insurance. The Levin Borough Council replied that the request for support had been formally received, while tlie Pohangina County Council stated that it favoured the proposal in a limited form for hospital construution work only.

Discussing the letter, Cr. J. Boyce, at whose instigation tlie resolution had been carried, said he had heard a good deal of the matter since it had been circulated to the local bodies, and he was convinced that had he been able to attend the various meetings, lie would probably have succeeded in reversing many of the decisibns. The position was, he said, that the local bodies did not appear to have a full knowledge of what he was driving at —that the lottery revenue be used to supplement the present system and not replace it entirely. Cr. R. A. Wilson said he quite agreed with Cr. Boyce, and he considered it was a pity that Cr. Boyce had not been able to attend the local body meetings personally and explain the proposals. No further comment was offered and the letters were received