HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17942, 22 May 1920, Page 7

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID.

QUESTION OF STATE CONTROL. STATEMENT BY ME PARE. (Fbom Otjb Own Corbespondent.) AUCKLAND, May 21. "When replying to a deputation to-day the Minister of Public Health made some observations on the general question of administering hospitals. Ho said he had received numerous suggestions that the whole of the cost of hospitals and charitable aid should be paid out of the Consolidated Fund.' The first essential in connection •with the administration of institutions where unfortunate peoplo were tended was efficiency. Whether the State could handle matters better than the present system of contributions from local bodies was a large question. As soon as he could get the burden of Education (hia other portfolio) a little easier he proposed to give the matter of hospital administration careful and impartial consideration. He confessed that hospital board work waa new to him. In considering the matter of hospitals and their administration, a Minister must do liia best for the people. A matter which would have to be considered, and it might weigh with the Finance Minister, was that the dominion might be approaching a time of a little stringency. He would not say more than that. That question, would have to be considered in any State system of control of hospitals; that was to say, of the State providing the whole of the finance. Because even if it did. there might possibly ba still some form of local control. The boards collected olose on £500,000 per year from looal and any soheme for the Government meeting the whole cost of hospitals and similar institutions would have to provide for the raising of that halfmillion of money put of the Consolidated F.und. It ooula 6e quite understood that fit was "not all beer and skittles" being Minister of ■ Publio Health.