WHEELCHAIR SUPPLY

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31153, 1 September 1966, Page 11

WHEELCHAIR SUPPLY

Tenders To Be Called

Specifications for a suitable wheelchair will be prepared by the North Canterbury Hospital Board, and tenders for their supply will be called from New Zealand firms. The board had sought the Health Department's permission to import suitable chairs, but the department had suggested that tenders could be called locally. The department also promised to give further consideration to the board’s proposal that permanently disabled persons should be supplied with their first wheelchair free of charge as a Social Security benefit. “If local industry can do it I hope they will,” said Mr J. B. Hay, “but if not, I hope there will be no more messing about and that the department will do something about it.”

Increase In Births

Last month there were 459 births in the city, according to statistics from the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages yesterday. This brings the total for the year to 3617. During the same period last year there were 3514 births. Deaths recorded in August totalled 320, an increase of 59 over July. This brings the number of deaths so far this year to 1865. There were 197 marriage notices issued in August, making a total of 1569 for this year—an increase of 122 on the figure for the same period last year, and 54 more than in July. Thirty-nine of these were registry marriages, two more than in July. So far this year there have been 316 registry marriages, 62 more than in the same period last year.