INFECTIOUS DISEASES HOSPITALS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8489, 18 July 1907, Page 6

INFECTIOUS DISEASES HOSPITALS.

COST OF MAINTAINING THEM

A PROTEST FROM THE MASTERTON BOKOUGH COUNCIL.

A special meeting of the Wairarapa District Hospital Board was j held in the County Council ChamMasterton, yesterday morning. to consi .ler the apportionment of the cost ox maintaining the infectious (peases hospitals in the district. -Dr l'rengley. District Health Officer, occupied the chair and there were also' present—Messrs J.M. Coradine (Masterton Borough), W. J. Welch (Masterton County), R. G. Welch (South Wairarapa County), W. Moore (Carterton Borough), J. W. Card (Feath:rstonTown Board), M. J. H. Jackso:i (Featherston County), 0. Considine (Martinborough Town Board), D. Crewe (Pahiatua Borough), T. Moss (Eke'.ahuna Borough), and W. Gray (Mauriceville County). No delegates were present from the Greytown and Eketahuna Boroughs, and the Pahiatua, Akitio and Castlepoint Counties. The Chairman read the section of the Public Health Act which makes provision for the cost of maintaining infectious diseases hospitals. The levy that a district is called upon to pay for the upkeep of such hospitals was based en the population of such district, and the distance it is from the hospital. He read the following list, showing the percentage of the cost of maintaining infectious diseases hospitals that each local body had had to pay in the past: —Masterton Borough 26 per cent., Pahiatua County 1L.5 per cent., Mr. rterton County 10 per cent, Wairarapa South County 9 per cent, Pahiatua Borough 9 p.i cent., Greytown Borough 8 per cent., Carterton Borough 7 per cent., Featherston County 6 per cent., Eketahuna County 4 per cent., Maurjceville County 3 per cent., Eketahuna Borough 2 per cent., Featherston Town Board 2 per cent., Martinborough Town Board 1 per cent., Akitio County 1 per cent., and Castlepoint County .5 per cent. Mr Moss moved that the apportionment of cost read by the District Health Officer be agreed to. Mr R. G. Welch seconded the motion. Mr Coradine said that he intended to object to the old basis of contribution, and he thought he had good reasons for doing so. When the figures read by the Chairman had been drawn up, the Boroughs had a population of 7,600, the Counties 17,000, yet each had to contribute 50 per cent, of the cost of upkeep of infectious diseases hospitals. In other words, the inhabitants of the Boroughs were taxed to the extent of Is 6 d per head, while the Counties conrtibuted BJd per head of population. He quite agreed that consideration must be given to the distance of a Borough or County from the hospital, but even then the levies made were out of all proportion. Another thing was that since the assessments of the cost of upkeep had been made, Eketahuna had become a Borough, and he considered it should now be made to pay its share as a borough. It might be said that the population in the Counties was scattered, but he would say that the population was grouped into small townships. Take Lansdowne for instance. It was nearer to the infectious diseases hospital than the Masterton Borough. The people of Lansdowne had equal facilities to the hospital for BJd per head as those in the Borough, who paid Is Gd per head. No doubt there were other Boroughs in similar positions and he relied on the support from the other Boroughs in his objection. ilr W. J. Welch contended that the people in the Boroughs had greater facilities for taking advantage of the infectious diseases hospitals than those in the Counties. The population in the Counties was scattered, and the bad roads made access to the hospitals difficult. No matter how far distant a portion of the County was from a hospital the Health Department _ insisted upon every case of infectious

disease being taken to the hospital. Mr Crewe: Perhaps Mr Coradine will tell us what Masterton wants. Mr Coradine said the cost of upkeep of hospitals should be more equitably apportioned on a population basis with due consideration as to distance of parts of Counties from hospitals. The Chairman, at this stage, pointed out that if the delegates could not agree as to the apportionment of the cost, the matter would have to be submitted to a Magistrate, who would fix the cost. i He went on to say that the figures that were before the meeting would be placed before the Magistrate, and he (Dr. Frengley) would have to support those figures. In addition he would have to point out that 80 per cent, of the infectious diseases cases treated at the hospital came| from the Masterton Borough, and the Magistrate would certainly be liable to think that 26 per cent, of the cost of upkeep of such hospital was low. He did not think there was any hope of the Magistrate lowering the levy made on the Masterton Borough. Mr Coradine said that, with all due deference to Dr. Frengley, the Masterton Borough Council intended to object strongly to paying 26 per cent, of the cost of upkeep even if the matter had to go before the Magistrate. He had placed the matter before them clearly, and would like to add that his idea was that the Masterton Borough's share of the cost should be nearer 15 per cent, than 26 per cent. He considered that the Counties should pay more and that the Town Boards should come under the same category as Boroughs. The Chairman stated that another thing that wmild have to be pointed out to the Magistrate was that the Masterton Borough once agreed to pay 26 per cent, of the cost of upMr Coradine: Well, we won't have much hope if the Health Department is going to oppose us f r The Chairman: Oh! no; don't say that. Mr Crewe suggested that the Mas- | terton Borough and County should be allowed to settle the difficulty between themselves before the next annual meeting. If the dispute were giaken to Court, he would like to see the Masterton Borough guarantee the expenses of the hearing. Mr Coradine said that there was no dispute between the Masterton Borough and County. It was the whole basis of the levy that he objected to. The Chairman said that the delegates would have to be unanimous at the meeting or else the matter would have to go before a Magistrate, ar.d the costs of the hearing of the dispute would havd to be borne by the Board. All the local bodies interested would have to be represented at the Court because if the Magistrate reduced the Masterton Borough's levy to 15 per cent., the question would arise as to who was going to pay the extra 11 per cent. Mr Moss did not consider it fair that the Masterton Borough, which contributed 80 per cent, of the infectious diseases cases, should be asked to pay any less than 26 per cent, of the cost of upkeep. The motion was then put to the meeting and carried, only Mr Coradine dissenting. Dr. Frengley said he would submit the question to the Crown Lwv Offices as to whether a majority at :he meeting should finally decide i.pon the levies. If the opinion given was against a majority deciding the matter, he would advise the local authorities, and the next step would be to submit the dispute to a Magistrate.