ST. JOHN AMBULANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 221, 17 September 1919, Page 9

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE.

EXTEXDIXG ITS SCOPE. Tn order to widen the sphere of iisefulness of the St. John Ambulance in Auckland the Association wants £10.000. and a start will be made on Friday, September 2b", with a "Rose Day" and' street collection. The Association's need for £10,000 arises from three causes, as follows:— (1) To provide one or two motor ambulances for the transport work of the brigade, which would be available to the public at any hour of the day or night, for accident or sick transport cases. The hospital ambulances are available only for hospital work, and cannot be used for ordinary private transport services. The brigade kittends all football, hockey, and other sports meetings, races, etc. (2) To provide for two or three trained nurses, to have headquarters at the Auckland station in Rutland Street, and to work under the direction of the Older in the city and suburbs. (3) To erect a. sub-station at Epsom, which will be partly a memorial to the late Miss Firth, who died while nursing Maoris at Narrow Keck camp during the epidemic. In addition to "Rose Day' , a number of societies have promised to help. TKe members of the Police Force will give a similar entertainment to the one which j raised over £2000 for the Red Cross. The Auckland Orphans' Club is to give a concert; the St. John Ambulance Brigade and the pupils of the Maori schools are to take part in a combined display; sports are to be arranged by the Auckland Rugby Union, the Northern Union, and the Auckland Hockey Association; and it is likely that children of the public schools will give the display that was j postponed from the time oi the peace celebrations. All the members of the woman's patriotic societies have combined to organise a big floral fete for December 9th. This should be a popular item, as there hasn't been such a gathering for a number of years. It is hoped by the executive to get about fipOO by these entertainments, and the balance is to be raised by subscriptions, a special financial executive of business men having been formed for the purpose. As the work of the Association is such a necessary one there should not be any difficulty about reaching the sum aimed at, and this opinion is supported by the cordial manner in which those people already approached ior subscriptions have responded. A member of the Hospital Board at its meeting last night expreseed the opinion that the time had come for the Board to "cut the painter"' -where the Annexe was concerned. The speaker, Mr. Howe, stated that up till recently the Government had been paying about £7000 a year for what the Hospital Board had previously supplied for next to nothing. Complaints from the soldiers, he said, were continuously being heard. It would be better for the Board to notify the Government that it intended to take its nurses out and let the Defence Department run the insti tution themselves. .Mr. M. J. Coyle thought that it would be a mistake to let the Defence Department take complete control, even if it were only because it would be worse for the patients. He had had a whisper that before long the soldier patients would again be under the control of the Hospital Board Xo resolution was passed. Scotsmen are justly proud of their country's magnificent heritage of song. The songs of Scotland, both in words and music, are no artificial creation, but the ! national expression of the national I character and the national life. The jßev. J. W. Sham- will lecture on Thursi day evening on "The Songs of Scotland, , ' iwhen he will review the contributions of j the supreme master, Burns, and of Tannhill, Lady Xairn, Hogg and others of that famous company. The lecture will be delivered in lit. Eden Presbyterian Sunday school and will be illustrated by an extensive, programme of ! Scottish ptujifii . \