FREE AMBULANCE

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 225, 19 June 1936, Page 5

FREE AMBULANCE

Wellington City Council Representation MONTHLY MEETING Mr. C. J. B. Norwood, president, occupied the chair at the monthly meeting of the board of the Wellington Free Ambulance yesterday. A report was made as to the outcome of a case iu which an ambulance driver when on duty accidentally killed a sheep on a country road. Various letter of appreciation of the prompt and considerate service rendered by the Free Ambulance were read by the superintendent (Mr. F. Roffe). The president said that he had mentioned the matter of the Wellington City Council representation on the ambulance board to the Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop), who had promised to make the necessary arrangement. So far they had not been advised of any appointment. Mr. G. Mitchell said in view of the position of the Wellington Hospital Board (which contributed £lOOO a year to the ambulance funds), there should be a representative from that body on the board, “if it were only to reveal to the Hospital Board the problems the ambulance had to face.” In his opinion the Hospital Board should be paying nearer £2OOO than £lOOO. The year before the Free Ambulance took over the. work the cost of ambulance seryice ran into about £l2OO, aud that was with only two old broken-down vane. That was eight years ago, and iu the meantime the work had doubled.

Mr. Walter Cole (Lower Hutt Borough Council) said that his body was so concerned about the big increase in the hospital levy that the. proposal to double the subsidy to the Free Ambulance was out of the question. He had then asked the borough council to halve it —£75 instead of £lO0 —but there was no response. Eventually the council agreed to make this year’s payment £6O instead of £ao. “There is no question, in view of the excellent service of the Free Ambulance, of going back to the old order of things; that would be a retrograde step,” said Mr. G. Mitchell. “Take the number of eases a i tended from Lower Hutt—some 600. Why, it only worked out to 2/- a head, yet in the old days it was nearer 22/6 a head.” "The charge was £3 from Lower Hutt to the hospital,” said Mr. A. J. McCurdy. The date of the annual meeting was fixed for June 30. . In view of his pending visit to England, Mr. Mitchell was granted leave of absence, the president wishing him a pleasant voyage, said expressing the hope that he would keep an eye on ambulance matters while abroad. Donations for Month. The following donations were acknowledged :— , Mr. Francis Bennett, £2/2/-; F. W. Furkert, Miss L. Ashworth and Lady Chapman, £2 each; Al. M. Pizer, £1 11/6; George F. Pearce, £l/1/-; H. Vial, £1; Marcus Shapiro and M. C. Eeson. 10/6 each; T. S. Lyon, O. Clegg, Miss C. H. Gillespie, Mrs. AV. Lampen-Smith, R. Firth Mrs. A. Lemmon, Mrs. R. Tannahill, Mrs. B. O. Affleck, G. B. Anderson. Anonymous and New Zealand Shipping Co.. 10/- each; W. Greig, A. Joiner and E. E. Pennington, 7/6 each: Miss D. M. Dickerson, 6/6; Mrs. G. Abernethy, Anonymous, Airs. J. List, Mrs. E. Fergusou, Mrf?. L. Atkinson, J. Wilson, Mrs. ,F. M. Ramsay, Anonymous and Airs. O. Jacobson, 5/- each; Anonymous, 4/-; Mrs. Al. Brodie, 2/6; and Aliss J. StevcnG, 2/-. Crawley, Ridley and Co., £3/3/-; V. M. Edgar. £2/2/-; Gear Meat Co., Petone, £5/13/-; Anonymous, AVellington Hockey Association, A. and T. Burt Ltd., Wellington Football Assignation, AVellington South School Committee, W. I. Clark and Victoria Laundry, £l/1/each; Albion Printing Co., AV. A. G. Skinner, Mtn?. A. Gilxson Smith and Mrs. I. Goodwin, 10/- each; Mrs. AlcMurray, Town Board, £27; Motor Vehicles Third Party Pool. £2u; Hell Drivers’ demonstration (proceeds of collection!, £l7/1/-; Paekakariki Benefit Committee (proceeds of benefit), ilb: Hutt River Board (annual grant), £o 3/During the month of Alay 1293 cases were attended by the Free Ambulance as compared with 1063 cases in Alay of last year. Of the total 1094 were from the city and suburbs.