MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 72, 16 July 1914, Page 6

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

NATIONALISATION OF HOSPITALS 1 Per Press Association. ] Wellington, July 15. An interesting discussion on the nationalisation of public hospitals took place at the Municipal Conference today, when the following remit was submitted by the Petone Council : “That the present method of levying local bodies for the upkeep of hospitals and charitable aid be discontinued, and that hospitals, etc., be nationalised, and the whole upkeep be met out of general revenue, the whole treatment to lie free of cost to patients.” The Hon. J. Barr strongly supported the motion, and said lie regarded hospitals as purely a national institution. They .could have no purely local spher ebecause the bonds of common humanity compelled their doors to ho open to all who came. Mr McCrath (Napier) said his experience suggested that if hospitals were nationalised there would he so much red tape that most of the patients would lie dead before they could ho admitted. Mr Michael (Auckland) also opposed the remit because ho did not believe in pauperising the people-. The remit was finally rejected by 2!) votes tc -Z.