Hospital Board Levy.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 17624, 8 October 1921, Page 5

Hospital Board Levy.

A COUNTY COUNCIL'S ERROR.

CHAIR-MAX OR BOARD’S CORRECTION.

The chairman of the Hospital Board in an interview with a "mwaK representative drew attention to an error into wlneli the memue-rs ot tin.Leveis County Council had fallen, as disclosed in the “Herald s report- ot their meeting on Wednesday last-. \ letter irom the secretary of the Board having been read.. requesting payment of tins year’s levy as funds were required to meet the cuueut, month’s accounts, Mr Garrick said inis was a strange request, me Hospital Board had a mg cream balance in me Cost Ulhco earning interest at d* or 32 per cent, and tney asited. the | Council to pay them this levy out ol uverdralt at / per cent. The dialrman concurred. Mr Kerr I and Air Aic.ixcown took a similar view, and it was decided not to pay the levy in the meantime. Mr Potts states that that is an unlortunato misconception, and he hopes that other local contributing bodies have not fallen into the same error. the facts are that the Board at one time bad a large sum, the total of tins year’s subsidy from the Government, in the Tost- Office, but the last of it was drawn out in August. Air Potts explained that early in the financial year (which commences April 1) he met the Alinister in Charge of Hospitals,tho Hon. O. J. Barr. and told hlin that i the Hospital Board was short of funds jor likely to be so, as the local contributing bodies would be late in paying the levy out of rates, and it I would be difficult or at all events expensive for them to pay the levy out of overdraft. To ease tho Boards shortage, and to ease the burden on ; the local contributing bodies, Mr Parr i agreed to pay, and did pay, early in th© financial year, tho whole, of . this year’s subsidy instead of paying it by quarterly ius.nl incuts. It was tins subsidy that was put into the Post Office and was used for the BoartPs needs while it lasted, affording relief, m time, to the local bodies. Th© payment of the voar’s subsidy in advance was. an act of benevolence to the local bodies, as it delnved the call upon them to pay the levies-. These being the facts concerning the sunposed interest-earn-ino- monfiv. the chairman of the Board heper that, tlm T.erolc rVvm+y Gmnmil Y-di -ornreo Ha deme-fetl r, ' f +0 f 11 1” ■n-'M/'h was come te at H tnst meetfngji t