HAWERA HOSPITAL

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 226, 22 April 1933, Page 7

HAWERA HOSPITAL

Likely Increase in Levy

ESTIMATES FOR COMING YEAR

An increase of 30 per cent, in the levy j on local bodies is a feature of the Ha- | wcra Hospital Board estimates adopted ] yesterday. The big increase, which repj resents rather more than 5d on £IOO capi ital value, is entirely due to the resumpI lien of (he repayment of the building j loan. The levy will not be actually j struck until the; Health Department has i approved of the estimates. For the past two years the board has ; not met the annual repayment of £BOOO j which has been an important factor in i reducing the levy from £12,700 to £6BOO. j This year, however, the board has to \ make a payment of £IOOO, half of which will be recovered by way of subsidy I from the Government, The result is an i increase of the levy to £8097. representing : Is 9d in £IOO on the capital value of the hospital district. ] The; total estimated expenditure is j £23.385 against an expenditure List year : of £21,259. The estimated receipts balance | with the estimate of expenditure. Last jyear receipts totalled £21.728. | It is estimated that ' general receipts I will total £6017 as against collections last i year of £8570. The balance of £10,201 in receipts in the maintenance account it : is proposed to secure by £7117 in local i body levies and £0123 from Government ! ; subsidy. Last year £6837 was received j from the levy and £5376 from the subsidy, j In the capital account expenditure is i estimated at £4124. of which it is pro- j posed to secure £IBBO by way of levy and i an equivalent amount from Government j subsidy. Last year £2B Ms 9d was the j tola! of the levy and no subsidy was re- i ceived. Application Refused Dr. M. H. Watt, Director-General of | Health, wrote expressing regret that the board's application for consent to reduce I the loan by only £2OOO could not be supported. The matter was primarily for | the lender, the Bank of New Zealand, ! which, he understood, was not favourable j to the proposal. In the following statement of cstimat- | cd receipts the estimate is given first. | followed by last year's actual figures, : with last year's estimate given last: Cash I in hand,

sidy on maintenance levies outstanding. £-152 !3s lOd, £690 7s lOd, £690 7s lOd; voluntary contributions, — £6O ss, —; subsidy on voluntary contributions, —, £lB Vs 2d, £lB 7s 2d; patients' payments, £SOOO, \ £5353 18s 7d. £5000; charitable aid recov- ] cries, £450, £486 16s, £500; rent, etc., £ls, ! £ls 15s, £18; refund of subsidy, —, £244 ! 15s Bd, £244 15s Bd, farm sales, £IOO, £97 i 13s, £100; grounds sales, —, 13s 7d, —. The principal items of payment with a similar basis of comparison are: Hos- • pital maintenance, £12,000, £12,011 3s 6d, j £12,000; charitable aid indoor, £750, £1574 ! 3s Id, £1150; outdoor charitable aid, £BOO, £932 Is Sd, £800; administration, £1250, £1242 19s Bd, £1300; payments to other institutions, £6OO, £B3l 5s 9d, £500; intcresi, | £2475, £3057 18s, £3217; miscellaneous payj ments and farm, £1000; £9BO 13s 9d, £IOOO. j The principal payment in the capital i account is £4OOO repayment on the board's Mean. Interest Savings The chairman, Mr. J. S. McKay, said that though the board would have to pay I an instalment of the repayment of its ! loan he had hoped this could be done I without increasing the levy. The re- | duclion in interest would save the board I £COO, and £llOO of last year's 'expenditure | would be non-recurring. The effect of j the exchange increase and the sales tax, ; however, would offset this to a certain j extent, while a reduction in the amount i of fees collected could he anticipated. | There might also be an increase in charitjable aid. Replying to questions from the board |Mr. Claude Harrison, managing secretary, 1 said it was not certain that the depart- ! nient woidcl approve the estimates. The ■ department might consider that collecI tions from patients were shown at too low a figure and insist on an increase of I £SOO. The department might also request that provision for maintenance expenditure be cut down by £IOOO. Mr. McKay said the board would be "in the soup*' if they cut the estimates any finer and the department made amendments. They would be better advised to leave the estimates as they were. On the motion of Messrs. A. L. Campbell and T. A Winks the estimates were adopted and the striking of the le*y held over. Mr. Winks said the finance committee had gone carefully into the estimates. If they did receive a rebuff from the department they would have to put up with it.