MONEY FOR RELIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20970, 5 September 1931, Page 13

MONEY FOR RELIEF.

I INADEQUACY OF FUNDS. HOSPITAL BOARD'S PLIGHT. GRANT OF £50,000 WANTED. With only five months of the financial year gone, the Auckland Hospital Board has spent about £30,000 in outdoor relief. As the estimates make provision for only £46,500 for the entire year, concern is being expressed at the inadequacy of the board's resources to meet the calls made under that heading, and a deputation, comprising Mr. W. Wallace, chairman of the board, and the Rev. W. C. Wood, will leave for Wellington on Tuesday evening in an endeavour to invoke Government aid. Tho disturbing increase in relief expenditure is shown by the following details relating to the cost of this service to the board in recent years:—l 927, £25,038; 1928, £28,815; 1929, £40,700; 1930, £59,920. On the basis of five months' figures, £72,000 will bo spent this year. Even that large figure may be a conservative estimate, for there is no sign of a slackening in requests for aid. On the contrary, Mr. Wallace said yesterday, 200 new cases had come under the board's consideration in the past fortnight. A local body conference, which discussed the question last year, when it became evident that outdoor relief expenditure was growing at an alarming rate, expressed the view that such relief should be a charge on the national exchequer. The possibility of an extra levy being imposed on contributing local bodies has been mooted. The board's levy this year totals £102,263, against £122,911 last year, the reduction having been made at the urgent request of tho Health Department. Mr. Wallace stated yesterday that he was reluctant to seek provision to enable an extra levy to be imposed, and his request to the Prime Minister next week would be to make a straight-out grant of £50,000 to the board to enable it to continue to meet the increasing number of claims for outdoor relief. " Bread alone is costing us £IOOO a month," added Mr. Wallace. "If we refused to give relief a very ugly situation would arise, and the Government must recognise that further assistance is imperative."