NO PUBLIC RESPONSE

Northern Advocate, 29 November 1934, Page 4

NO PUBLIC RESPONSE

AMBULANCE MEETING FIASCO

CITIZENS’ APATHY CONDEMNED

Not one member of the genera'

public attended the meeting called

for last night to consider the first annual report and balance sheet of the Citizens’ Executive Committee set up at a public meeting last year to administer the financial affairs of the St. John Ambulance Brigade. Those present comprised members of the committee, members of the Ambulance and two press reporters. No member of the general public attended. The meeting was convened by the Mayor, but, at the appointed hour, 8 o’clock, he was not present. At about 8.30 unsuccessful attempts were made to communicate with Mr Jones by telephone. In the meantime it had been ascertained that Mr L. W. Nelson, one of the members of the executive, had mistaken the night of the meeting. When Mr Nelson arrived he was appointed chairman, and the meeting opened at five minutes to 9 o’clock, to be adjourned shortly after. Mr Nelson apologised for his lateness, stating that he had mistaken the night for the meeting as he ( had been exceptionally busy since his* return from the south. As for Mr Jones’ absence, he had no doubt the Mayor had a satisfactory explanation for his failure to attend.

“It is disappointing to find that, with the exception of the executive committee appointed at the public meeting last year, and members of the St. John Ambulance, no other members of the public are present,” Mr Nelson said. “It is hard to understand, after the strongly representative meeting last year, that the public are so apathetic in their response to the calling of this meeting. They have not even come to ascertain what has been done by the committee they appointed. I do not think we can do anything else but adjourn, and have another meeting called, when the Executive Committee will be prepared to give an account of their stewardship. I think the result of their endeavours will be satisfactory. The press should take the public to task for their apathy in not being represented at a meeting of this description. The Ambulance is a public utility and it means a great deal of sacrifice to those who take up this work. The least the public could have done was to have responded to the invitation to attend the meeting called for this evening.” Mr Nelson moved that the meeting be adjourned to a date to be decided upon.

Mr T. Mitchell seconded 'the motion. “I suppose that there is nothing else to do in the circumstances,”he said. “To pi’oceed with the business would not do justice to the Ambulance work in the district.” Mr Mitchell agreed with the remarks of Mr Nelson, commenting that the cause warranted a better attendance. Mr H. C. Rishworth said that the attendance was most discouraging to the Ambulance. “My mind goes back to the meeting held last year,” he said. “It was fully representative and enthusiastic. Promises of assistance and money were made, also a definite undertaking not only to set up a committee, but to support it in every way the public could. To my mind they wex-e so many empty words. It j jis futile to say that people cannot at- j tend because of the number of calls j on their time. Thei’e is not even one per cent of citizens represented j here. It is a blot on the civic pride of the district.” The meeting was then adjourned. Seen by a px’ess reporter this morning, the Mayor, Mr W. Jones, was staggered to discover that he had ovex-looked the meeting. He had accompanied Mi’s Jones to an Institute meeting held in Miss Pelita’s hall and had regrettably forgotten his ambulance engagement.