TAX ON AMBULANCES

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 174, 20 April 1935, Page 10

TAX ON AMBULANCES

Wellington to Make a Protest “LIVES COME FIRST” Should the cars of the Free Ambulance be taxed? This question exercised the members of the last meeting of the present council of the Wellington Free Ambulance on Thursday. It was stated that under an Order-in-Council of last October ambulance cars were classified as passenger ears, and as a result £S per annum bad to be paid by way of taxation. As chairman of the council, Mr. C. J. B. Norwood said he regretted that the Government had found it necessary to impose further taxation on the ambulance service. Mr. G. Mitchell said that already the ambulance was paying £3OO a year in .petrol taxation, that on a service which was responsible for the saving of life. The Fire Brigade, whose chief function was to save property, was not subject to any of this additional taxation. The chairman, by way f explanation, said that there were in New Zealand ambulances which charged for their services, and it was a question, as to whether the position in Wellington, where the service was free, should not be represented to the Government. Personally he would not like to see the Fire Brigade subjected to any further taxation, but the fact was that the Free Ambulance was maintained by the public and was absolutely free. All over the world the ambulance was given the right of the road in the same way as a fire engine. He considered that the service in Wellington was worthy of special consideration in view of the manner in which it was financed, and a strong case could be put to the authorities. Mr. Mitchell considered that _a.s human lives came first the service should not be taxed. “Not when it is free,” said Mr. M. Marks. “As all this service is being given free to save lives and help those in distress, I don’t think there should be a penny taxation,” said Mr. Mitchell/’ The chairman mentioned that he had no information as to why such an Order-in-Council had been brought down, but it appeared to him that some responsible person seemed to have some reason for concentrating on ambulance work. He hoped that the Free Ambulance would be given some measure of relief. The superintendent, Mr. F. Roffe, said that he had asked for a refund of the £8 mentioned, and his application was being considered. Mr. R. W. Bothamley mentioned that the service carried out an important function in connection of the conveyance of patients to and from the Porirua Mental Hospital. It was decided to hold the matter over until the next meeting of the council. AMBULANCE LICENSES St. John Policy Explained “In future it will be necessary for; all motor ambulance vehicles to operate under a license and to obtain a certificate of fitness. Because of the special nature of the work of ambulances the transport authorities have made liberal concessions,” runs a statement issued yesterday by the Commandery in New Zealand of the Grand Priory in the British Realm of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, in answer to Mr. Norwood. "Instead of each of the forty-five hospital boards paying £5 for a license, and £3 for each certificate of fitn.ess, they will be able to take advantage of the offer of the Commandery and need not pay anything toward the cost of the license as the Commandery will defray the amount charged them by the department, which will only amount to £8 for the whole of the Dominion. “Each vehicle will have to pay an annual fee of £1 for a certificate of fitness which would be borne by St. John where they are operating the vehicles, and by the hospital board or other organisation where it operated the vehicles.

“These fees seem very reasonable for the services rendered by the Transport Board. The license fee does not fully pay for the advertisements, and the advantage of inspection and report from time to time on the fitness of vehicles conveying the sick and injured and having to travel at a maximum speed over all classes of road is obvious.

"In addition to the certificate of fitness of vehicles, steps are being taken to arrange a conference of all bodies interested in ambulance transport in order that there should be a standisation of equipment. For instance, the stretchers used by the hospital, military, railway, aero clubs, marine, Red Cross Society. Free Ambulance and St. John should all be interchangeable. In the event of a national disaster these bodies should act as one unit. “The Commandery of St. John, which operates ambulances from seventeen different towns, has been granted licenses iu tiie Auckland, Canterbury, Westland. Otago and Southland districts.”