FREE AMBULANCE

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 46, 31 August 1928, Page 8

FREE AMBULANCE

QUESTION OF FINANCE CITY COUNCIL'S PROPOSAL Tho Mayor (Mr.G. A. Troup) and Councillor Q. Mxtchpll attendee} a meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board yesterday, and addressed thp board on the, question of the provision of funds' for the Free Ambulance, The Mayor said tha.t a BUI had been drafted and would be submitted to Parliament, and under its provisions ocr? tain payments were to bja made, by the Hospital Board and'local bodies^ The sum" set down against the Wellington City Council wag an annual contribution for thp noxt five years of #3000, and the sum set down for payment by the Hospital Eip.ard was £100Q, and pf the board's charge mqst would be passed on to the cpuneij. The cpiinci! felt that the charge was suph an extras ordinary one that it could not approve of it. The Mayor stated that the. receipts for the ambulance amounted to £,4972; pf that ampunt the local bodies subscribed £31Q§, leaving £1867 to come from donations, societies' benefits, and various grants, jjflilo.r secfipn 7S of the Hospitals and Pbaritabje Insti. tutions Act 1926, hospital boards had the power to delegate their ppwers in suuhmatters to a committee. The Free Ambulance Association epuld. be' left to carry' out the work.. The receipts, oould be paid to the Hospital Board, vyh-icli could claim a Government .subsidy on the ampuut. The bpard coujd be rer presented on the Ambulance Qpmmitr fee, and delegate its powers in respect to the ambulaucp tp! t}iq committee. In thp ppiilion of the City Solicitor, the Voar.d had the power of delegation. He hold that tho financial position \n rpr I gard to" the free ambulaiico wag quite wrong. Councillor Mitchell suppprted the statement of the Mayor, ajid said that the object was to maintain an efficient anibuiance service. The ambulance i was rim not only efficiently but economically. By the delegation pf the board's powers as suggested, and the grant of a Government subsidy, the ambulance committee would have reasonable finance to maintain the' ambulance efficiently and provide for the necessary-increase in plant. The chairman of the Hospital Board (Mr. .0, M. Luke) said the question w-aq an important one, and would require careful consideration. He doubted whether what had been asked eoujd be dpne under the Act, The legal aspect would have to be inquired into. Mr. W. Appleton said that the Hpspita] Board had bee,n sympathetic with tlie free anibulanee movement from its inception! He doubted whether tho board cpu]d delegate its powers as suggested, af*d !>? queationed whether tho principle was a sound one. It was the duty pf the board to collect fees from thos,e who eouM afford to pay them. The Rev. J. A. Lochore pointed out that when the board ran the ambulanco it got a considerable amount pf money frqtn the service. Tlie Mayor said the whole matter would bo thoroughly gone into. When the Minister had been spokon to on ii question of subsidy some time ago he replied that any subsidy given must be applicable tg the whple of the Doniiuion. It was agreed that tho chairman of the committees of tho board shoujd gp iiitp thp matter and report to a, apfeckjl meeting of tlic board.