HOSPITAL REVENUE

Waikato Times, Volume 92, Issue 14363, 14 May 1920, Page 5

HOSPITAL REVENUE

COUNTY COUNCILS IN ARMS, UNFAIR TO THE FARMER. TAXATION BECOMES A BURDEN'. The Waikato Hospital Board made a complaint lo the Valuer-General a short | time ago that about half the districts in the Waikato hospital area had not been j j valued since 19J4. In a reply lo the; j Board yesterday, the Valuer-General I I slated that with the exception of the j boroughs of Cambridge, Te Aroha and Te Awaiuulu, Ihe town districts of Huntly and Ngaruawahia and the town ami country of Holorua, it could .hardly be said Hint the values were old, unless the present extraordinary prices beingpaid for lands were warranted, an opinion with which, he said, he did nqt agree. The writer added that the borough of Hamilton had just been revalued, while Morrinsville was revalued in 1917. Ivawhia county was now being revalued. The Department was quite sensible of Hie necessity of keeping values up to dale, hut at no period in the 'history of the Dominion had the difficulty of obtaining reliable valuers been so great as at present. The writer concluded that if he were to employ a great majority of the valuers whose service were available, it was quite possible that inflated values Would he assigned and consequently a great, injustice done lo permanent settlers who were in no way connected with land speculation. When the letter was read before the Hoard. Mr G. Johnstone (Raglan) said it was “all bunkum.” The counties were revalued frequently, and lie thought the towns should he revalued a little oftenor. Mr Seavill (Raglan) declared that the present system of rating for hospital revenue was grossly unfair aifd he moved that Ihe following he a remit to the forthcoming Hospital Boards Conference, a copy lo he sent to the Government: “That lids Hospital Hoard call the attention of the Government to the present unfair method of financing Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards throughout Ihe Dominion. We would urge that in lieu of the system now in force —viz., hospital boards making the allocations collectable for various local bodies based on the capital value —that the allocations 'he based either (I) on a capita lion basis, or (2) that Ihe. Government finance the hospital hoards oul of Hie Consolidated Fund. We would point oul that in this hoard’s area based on the latest figures available — the allocation just made by the hoard works out at 3s Id per head in boroughs and town hoard areas and 8s pur head in Hie counties.” Mr Seavill added that there seemed to he a disposition to make the whole hospital revenue a charge upon the land and the man who put his capital into bricks and mortar, a company or Government securities, paid practically nothing. Mr Ryhurn (Waipa) quoted a number of figures to show the unfairness of Rip present system. For the year 1919-20. lie said, the capital value of Hie hospital district was given at £20,907 37 5 while for the present year it bad risen to £31.0'.7,930, the allocation nf Hie local bodies having thus been increased from £11,984 to £lB,227. The increase in capital value was therefore £4,080.550, the increase on Hie levy £0242, and of this latter increase the Waipa county alone was called upon to pay £1531, or practically a quarter nf the total. The county Dart not a single pond metal pit within its boundaries -and the roads were crying out for improvement, and the rates were becoming a crushing burden. A good many of Hie smaller farmers wore hecoming inibuod with the labour union ideas that public services should he provided for out of the Consolidated Revenue. Either the Government must adopt this course or increase the subsidy. The chairman (Mr J. P. Bailey) said that while everything in the nature of expenditure was going up, the subsidy which hospital hoards received from Hie Government was steadily declining, and had fallen from £1 Is 3d in the £ to 12s 3d at the present time. Mr Wagstaff (Tc Aroha) said there was considerable dissatisfaction throughout Ids district with the increasing taxation. It was becoming unbearable and there was no telling where it was going to slop. Mr Potts (Waitomo) said the present method of rating was particularly unfair upon counties containing large areas of native lands, which were valued for the purpose of a hospital rate, hut upon which no rate was collectable by Hie local body,. The natives got the same treatment by hospital boards as Europeans, 'yet paid nothing for it. Mr Teasdnle (Te Awamutu) said Te Awamutii had not been valued since it had been a borough. It was decided to forward Mr Scavili’s motion as a remit to the, conference and also to Hie Government. It, was further decided, on tbe motion of Mr Potts, to point out to Hie con-, fercnce the unfair position in which certain counties containing native areas are placed, and asking the Government to devise means of collecting Hie hospital rate from the native owners.