FREE AMBULANCE

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 201, 22 May 1936, Page 15

FREE AMBULANCE

Local Body Contributors CASES FROM “OUTSIDE” AP a recent meeting of the Makara County Council Cr. E. Windley made some critical reference to the work done by the Wellington Free Ambulance outside the Wellington Hospital Board district (which is the ambulance board’s district). As it result Cr. Windley was asked to attend, and, if agreeable, take part in yesterday’s meeting of the Free Ambulance board. Cr. Windley did not attend, but a full report on outside service was submitted to the meeting by the superintendent (Mr. F. Roffe), and it was decided that a copy.be forwarded to Cr. Windley, and any other local body interested.

Cr. Windley, in regretting his inability to attend the meeting, forwarded a letter, in the course of which he made reference to local body contributions to the board’s funds. He stated that with the one exception of the Hutt County Council, all local bodies had fallen down on their original contributions, and, in his opinion, he considered that it would be more satisfactory if new allocations were made from local bodies on a basis of population.

Taking up the point, the president (Mr. C. J. B. Norwood) said it would be a tremendous advantage to the board il’-it could be assured of set contributions annually from the various local bodies, and mentioned that such a .proposal might well be considered by a conference of local body representatives which might be held later in the year. Incidentally, Mr. Norwood said that people living ten miles or more away from the city would naturally be expected to'pay a little more per head as the cost of service to distant places was considerably more than that rendered in town ; so that he was not at all convinced that population was the fairest basis to adopt. Mr. W. Cole said that on a capital basis if the Lower Hutt borough contributed double the present amount it would not be doing so well as Makara. Mr. A. J. McCurdy (Mayor of Upper Hutt) said the Upper Hutt Borough Council had contributed. £lOO a year originally, but that amount had been reduced to £5O since there had been an “anti-McCurdy council.” Referring to the question of turning, the whole of the Hutt Valley into one city, Upper Hutt was thirteen miles away from Lower Hutt,' and it would like to preserve its independence in the same way that Feilding was independent of Palmerston North. Mr. Edwards (Petone Borough Council) said that the levy from the Hospital Board had been increased by £l5OO, and the 40-hour week was going to cost his council another £BOO a year, but he would endeavour to get another "tenner” for the Free Ambulance as he was convinced that it was rendering great service, as the figures showed. After hearing other expressions of opinion on local body contributions, it was decided on the proposhi of the president to convene a conference to discuss local body contributions later in the year. Outside Service. Mr. Koffe’s report on ambulance journeys outside the "official” district contained the following passage: “During the period under review (four years ended March 31 last) 157 patients have been transported either to or from outside the Wellington district. Of this number only five were admitted to the Wellington Public Hospital who were not residents of the hospital district, and in each instance arrangements were made by those concerned or their medical advisers for their admission. Three of them came from Otaki and two from Featherston, and in all probability they were special cases for treatment which could not be given at their own hospital. The hospital fees in these cases are recoverable by the Wellington Hospital Board from their respective hospital boards. Of the ethers 23 were residents of the Wellington Hospital district who had been injured or taken away from Wellington, in several instances the transport being undertaken at the request of the Wellington Hospital authorities.” The report then gave in detail every outside call attended to, the list being headed with five cases to and ten from Otaki.

Following the report the president asked Mr. Roffe about certain longdistance trips. In the case of one to Rotorua the sum of £3O was paid, to Hamilton £25, and to Napier £lO. ' Mr. Norwood said he did not wish to stress such payments, as they were called a free ambulance, but as a rule for outside trips" an arrangement for payment was made.