HOSPITAL DISTRICT.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15113, 23 December 1921, Page 5

HOSPITAL DISTRICT.

WAIHI-THAMES SCHEME. LETTER FROM MINISTER/ The Minister, for Health Hon. C. J. Parr), replying to a communication from the Waihi Hospital Board on the subject of the proposed amalgamation of the Waihi and Thames hospital districts, says:—"With reference to your letter of. Bth inst., I did not reply specifically to the questions asked in your letter of the 12th« ultimo, for the reason that it is not proposed to proceed with the legislation effecting the amalgamation of the Waihi and Thames hospital districts. You ask whether, in the event of any amalgamation, the status of the Waihi Hospital would be reduced, and I to state that there "was no intention of reducing the status of the Hospital. Neither' would'the Thames Hospital Board have •'" -full control over the Waihi Hospital)but the two hospitals would have been controlled by a board elected by the united districts of Thames and Waihi. Owing to the greater valuation and population, however, representatives of the present Thames district would, of course, be in preponderance on the board to the extent of about six times as many as those of Waihi. This would have only been as it should be, in view of the fact that the hospital rate for the present borough of the Thames district would have been increased by about one-tenth of a penny in the £, owing to the amalgamation with Waihi. I regret to state that nothing can be done at the present in regard-to the question of subsidies, as" the finances of the Government do not permit of the proposed scheme being introduced.