WELLINGTON FREE AMBULANCE

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 233, 30 June 1939, Page 11

WELLINGTON FREE AMBULANCE

No Sign Of Flagging Interest

INCREASED WORK IN LAST YEAR

The popularity of • the Wellington District Free Ambulance Service aud the regard in which it was held by the public was stressed by the president, Sir Charles Norwood, at the annual meeting of the service last night. It was praiseworthy, he said, that the organization, which had experienced difficulties, had been able to meet each year successfully. People could become too used to a humane service which was carried out in a routine way, and.it was gratifying to the board that there was no evidence of interest flagging. “Those of us who, a little more than 11 years ago, set out to provide this necessity have seen our hopes more than gratified,” said Sir Charles. The financial position was sound, he said. A fund was being built up to meet an emergency such as an earthquake, and this was an important item in the balance-sheet. The report showed that IJ.wJ patients had been attended by the ambulance service during the year and the cars had travelled 165,810 miles. This represented an increase on the previous year of 1169 patients attended and 6213 miles travelled. . Since its inception the service had given assistance to 104.16 S patients and the cars had travelled 930,309 miles. In the following summary of cases handled during the year the figures m parentheses represent the previous year’s work: Accidents, 1i22 (1481) , medical to hospital, 4769 (4186) ; medical from hospital, 1329 (1677) ; X-ray, 306 (376) ; massage and special treatment. 1471 (1432) : maternity, 208 (247) ; public hospital cases, 2856 (2152) ; mental, 149 (146) ; minor cases, 159 (161) ; and miscellaneous, 200 (142). At the meeting Mrs. A. R. Coad, honorary treasurer of the ladies’ auxiliary, presented the board with a cheque for £l5O toward payment for the ambulance the ladies auxiliary had donated. She said the auxiliary hoped to be able to present a cheque for £l2O, the balance of the payment, before the end of the year.