HOSPITAL SYSTEMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22356, 29 February 1936, Page 15

HOSPITAL SYSTEMS

METHODS OP FINANCE DOMINION AND VICTORIA VISITING MINISTER'S VIEWS Comments on various aspects of the public health and hospital system in New Zealand were made yesterday by the Hon. G. L. Gaudie. Minister of Public Works and Immigration in the Victorian Government, who arrived at Auckland at the conclusion of a three weeks' tour of the Dominion. Mr. Gaudie said ho had been authorised to inquire into the New Zealand hospital system, principally from the viewpoint of finance and administration. Personally ho thought that the financing of public hospitals in the Dominion by a levy on local bodies, supplemented by Government subsidy, was much to be preferred to the Victorian system where hospitals largely depended on charitable donations, although Government grants and the proceeds from the totalisator tax were also made available. " Although I admire your system," Mr. Gaudie said, " there might be difficulties in the way of its introduction in Australia. In principle it is quite right that all members of the community should pay according to their means for the upkeep of public hospitals, but the voluntary system appears to be firmly established in Australia.*' Centralised Control Mr. Gaudie said he had not visited any individual hospitals, as medical and surgical questions were outside the scope of his inquiry. Although finance appeared to be well catered for in New Zealand, the question of administration might suffer by comparison. In Victoria there .was a system of centralised control of hospitals and he thought it should work better than the New Zealand system under which there was a separate administrative board for each hospital, subject to change at each local body election. Public Works activities were also a subject of interest to Mr. Gaudio who said the department in New Zealand appeared to have done excellent work ill putting roads through difficult country. However, the roads could hardly compare with thoso of Victoria where all main arterial routes were sealed for their entire length. It was difficult to compare the unemployment relief schemes of the two Governments, as he understood the New Zealand system was undergoing important policy changes. Efficiency ol Farmers " During my tour I have had an opportunity of inspecting some of the Government afforestation areas," Mr. Gaudie said. " This is one form of State activity in which New Zealand is far ahead of Australia." Mr. Gaudie added that he had been most favourably impressed by the appearance of the farming country through which he had passed in both the North Island and the South Island. It was his first visit to New Zealand and he had nothing but praise for thi> efficiency with which most New Zealand farmers appeared to tackle the problems in front of them. Dairy farms and dairy factories all seemod to make every effort for the highest quality in their output and in this respect they were still in advance of the dairy industry iu Australia.