HOSPITAL LEVIES

Otago Witness, Issue 3200, 14 July 1915, Page 3

HOSPITAL LEVIES

DISCUSSION BY BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL.

At the monthly meeting of the Bruce County Council on the 6th a letter—was received from the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board notifying the council that its contribution to the board’s funds for the current year amounted to £llO2 14s 6d. The Chairman (Cr Clark) said that he and the clerk had attended the conference on hospital and charitable aid levies in Dunedin, and though there was a prospect of the increase in the council’s levy being lessened by one-half, the position was still far from satisfactory. The present relief, apparently, was only to quieten the agitation, and was no guarantee for the future. Mr Walker had stated that during the past five years the board had spent £40,000, of which the contributing bodies had not paid one penny, and that the cost of the nurses’ home, £16,000, had still to be met. This statement indicated that the contributing bodies would have to face a considerable increase in the near future. Mr Walker also stated that foodstuffs had gone up from 50 to 100 per cent., thus excusing some of the increased levies. This might bo so regarding hospital supplies, but if it was so in the Hospital it was certainly not the case outside, where 20 per cent, fully covered the increase. Mr Walker had also stated that there was absolutely no extravagance, but Mrs Ferguson, a member of the board, said that she had visited all the nurses’ homes in the dominion, and that she wished the Dunedin nurses’ home to be the nicest in the dominion. To his mind rivalry of this description led to extravagance of the very worst kind. A conspicuous feature of-the conference was the desire of all the delegates fox more information regarding the board’s finances and ways of working. According to statements* made by the chairman of the board, it would appear that the city of Dunedin was rated at in the ponncl, whereas the amount should be nearly 3d for 1914-1915 and 4d in the pound, or more, fox 1915-1916. Cr Clark said that he had always been of opinion that one large institution fully equipped in each of the centres was superior to sevesar small ones scattered oyer the country, but if the spirit of rivalry and extravagance continued he would advocate the country cutting adrift from the city on the score of expense. They should certainly continue their agitation to effect some improvement in the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board management. The county clerk had asked for a copy of the board’s balance sheet, but could not get it, but he (the chairman) had secured the loan of a copy from a contributing • 51a noticed that the amounts outstanding for treatment by patients in Dunedin totalled £II,OOO, the estimated value of which was £llOO. This showed a very large deficiency. Cr King said they had a right to information regarding persons from the Bruce County who went into the Hospital. He would move that the names of those who had been treated in the institution during the past four years be supplied to the council, and also that a list of the fees' paid by them be also supplied. It was only fair that they should have all poessible information concerning the Hospital. The council would be in a better position to know the means of any patients coming from Bruce County than were the members of the board. Cr Adam seconded the motion. Cr Russell favoured a. separate hospital district for Bruce aud Clutha, and said that steps should be taken at once to confer with delegates from the Milton Borough Council, Clutha Borough Council, and Clutha County Council to consider this 'matter. Cr Driver said there had always been a certain amount of criticism levelled at the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board or those who were at the head of it, and no doubt to a certain extent it was justifiable. He had been over the buildings, and he did not think there had in any way been any extravagant expenditure. They were only what might be termed as necessary for the purposes for which they were built. Respecting the question of outstanding accounts, Cr Driver said that each case was reported to the board by the inquiry officer employed for the purpose. He personally had made inquiries regarding certain cases, and had had them held up pending his reports. AH these cases went before the board at its meetings, and the recommendations were generally acted upon. Cr Boyd favoured another conference of the contributing bodies, but he thought they had better hold over the question of a separate hospital district until after this conference. It would he of considerable advantage to the Bruce County to have a separate district, but the other matters to bo dealt with at another general conference should come on first. The Chairman said another conference would be held in a month’s time. The motion was then carried unanimously.

Tile question of the Hospital Board’s levy has been discussed with much freedom dur-

ins' the past month or so, hut a clear statement made at the meeting of the board, last evening by the chairman should finally dispose of the matter. Mr Walker said ha took very strong exception to certain states ments which Cr Clark (chairman) had made at the last meeting of the JBruce County Council. In regard to the information Cr Clark had asked for respecting tho board’s balance sheet he did not know where that had been obtained, as the balance sheet had not yet been audited and was not available to anybody. The speaker thought that Cr Clark must have dreamed something about the matter. Regarding tho statement which he personally had made, to tho effect that the price of foodstuffs had increased from 50 per cent, to 100 per cent, that was more than borne out by the actual facts. Bread had risen from 4£d to Bid, flour from £ll 10s to £l7 ' 10s, oatmeal from £lO to £2O, while drugs had increased by no less than 50 per cent., and in some cases by as much as 200 per cent. So far as the new nurses’ homowas concerned, he was strongly of opinion that everything that was being done there was an absolute necessity and that there was no extravagance whatever. His statement in regard to tho local bodies not contributing to the board’s expenditure of £40,000 during the past five years was a correct one, and he thought the country local bodies should recognise tho fact that no particular member of the board was responsible for the present increased expenditure. So far as the speaker could see that expenditure would bo an increasing one in the future. Even if it cost tho board' several thousands of pounds to keep tho hospital up to date ho did not think that money should be grudged, as it meant tho saving of life and the of suffering. Mr Driver (the representative from Bruce) stated that ho could not say where the chairman of tho council got his information. He thought the council would be satisfied if it got a little more in- I formation ns to the expenditure of the board. Tho Chairman replied that full particulars had always been supplied to the council whenever it had asked , for . them, but he questioned whether it had made any such requests during the last two .years.