HOSPITAL MAINTENANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19658, 9 June 1927, Page 12

HOSPITAL MAINTENANCE.

PROTEST AGAINST COST. INQUIRY HELD DESIRABLE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —I?EESS ASSOCIATION.] DUNEDIN, Wednesday. At a conference of local bodies held to consider the increase in the hospital levies, the opinion was generally expressed that hospitals should be a charge on the Consolidated Fund. It was resolved that: "It is desirable that a commission be set up to investigate hospital finance." It was stated that in the Otago district the rate had increased by £15,044 on last year's levy. Mr. Lewin, the town clerk, submitted interesting figures for ihe Dominion. He said that in the case of Dunedin City the increase was from £20,941 to £29,300. This represented an increase of 40 per cent. In Christchurch the increase was from £61,327 to £73,302, or 19-52 per cent. In Wellington the levy had risen from £49,307 to f £68,326, or 38.57 per cent. Each £IOOO of the capital value in the respective hospital districts was rated for hospital purposes in the four chie| centres as follows : £ s. d. Auckland .. .. ~ 1 010 Christchurch . . ..122 Wellington . . . . 1 12 6 Dunedin 1 19 10 The figures referred to the whole hospital district, and not to the city areas alone. Christchurch City contributed only 33.63 per cent, of the total demand for that district, Auckland City contributed 43.24 per cent., Dunedin City 58.58 per cent., and Wellington City 77.79 per cent. On the basis of population, the cost of hospital management worked out in tthe four centres as follows: Per Capita. h. d. Wellington City . . . . 10 10. Dunodin City .. .. 9 5 Auckland City . . . . 8 9 Christchurch City . . .. 5 11 An analysis showed that Wellington and Dunedin shared the "honour" of being the most heavily rated cities for tho purpose of hospital control.