ST. JOHN AMBULANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 99, 29 April 1933, Page 11

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE.

INSUFFICIENT SUBSIDY.

COMPLAINT BY ASSOCIATION,

Financial difficulties of St. John Ambulance were explained by Mr. C. J. Tunks, chairman of the committee of the Auckland centre of the association, in a statement yesterday.

"The difficult position in which the St. John Ambulance is working has been made more difficult by the failure of the association to obtain from the Auckland Hospital Board an increase in subsidy for which it recently asked," stated Mr. Tunks. "The request was made by the committee of the association only after full consideration of its merits.

"Last November," said Mr. 'funks, "the committee sent to the Hospital Board, with a request for a 40 per cent, increase in subsidy, it«j estimates for the current year, ending September 30, 1933, and also a statement of expenses for the previous year. These showed £942 as having been incurred by the association as a result of taking over the board's ambulance service, also a total of 549 patients removed at the request of the hospital authorities and from whom no remuneration could be collected. Board Contributions. "To meet the burden thus incurred, the Hospital Board contributed only £1000 and three ambulances. The ambulances had fallen into such a state of disrepair that, when taken over by us, they were definitely a liability instead of an asset. This fact was admitted by the chairman of the board, Mr. W. Wallace, when replying to a query from the Auditor-General. Since receiving a reply- from the Hospital Board to the effect that the association's request would be when the board waa framing its estimates, no further word has been received, although the estimates have been dealt with. '"D'rior to the association taking over the ambulance work of the whole of the board's district, the association's ambulances were carrying fully 50 per cent of the patients admitted to hospital. The cost of this work was met from the association's own funds. The remainder of tho patients were carried by the board's ambulances. T3ie cost to the board of this was stated by the chairman to be £800 a year. This figure was proved to be an under-cstimate of the cost, which must have been about ; £1200."