COMMUNITY SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19447, 1 October 1926, Page 13

COMMUNITY SERVICE.

THE ST. JOHN AMBULANCE*

TO-DAYS STREET COLLECTION-

TOTAL SUM OF £2050 REQUIRED..

In the St. John Ambulance street collection, which will take place to-day, Aucklanders will be given an opportunity of expressing in tangible manner their appreciation of one of tho noblest and most valuable forms of community service. Tho work is carried on year by year by means of voluntary subscriptions from the public. If the funds of the association fall below a certain level, then the work must suffer. It is work that en tors into the very warp and woof of the fabric of community life, and any lessening of activity must inevitably result in an added burden of trouble and misfortune to those least able to bear it. Those who will bo asked to subscribe to day to the funds of this most worthy organisation should know at least SGmeth ng of tho work they are being requested to support. One of the most, important branches is the motor-ambulance service. When an accident occurs, when life hangs by a thread, tho very first thought is for the St. John Ambulance. No matter what hour of day or night, no matter how long or rough tho road, the call is answered, and as soon as is humarJy possible the ambulance is on the spot, the sufferer being conveyed swiftly to the hospital. There is practically no limit to the distance tho St. John Ambulances may have to travel to reach tho case. Journeys have been made during the past year to Helensville, Pokeno, Clevedon, Riverhead. Over 5000 miles the ambulances travelled, with never a single breakdown or failure. The transport work is increasing so rapidly that another ambulance is now urgently required. The cost will be about £3OO. Against this must be laid the value of many human lives, tho alleviation of an incalculable burden of suffering. The ambulance drivers are trained and skilful men, but with inadequate means of transport no human skill can avail when the issues of life and death are measured in moments. The Work of the Nurses.

To the St. John District Nursing Service, conducted by two skilful an- 1 , devoted nurses, Auckland may well pay tribute of heartfelt thanks and appreciation to-day. The institution of the district nursing service is one of the most valuable and important philanthropic movements Auckland has ever known. The nurses enter the very poorest homes of the city. There is no charge for their services and it is difficult indeed to contemplate what would happen in hundreds of homes of the poor, the sick, and the aged if the ministrations of these devoted workers were withdrawn. Yet the very existence of the St. John Nursing Service is now at stake. Its fends amount to £1 6s 2d. It rests with citizens to-day to decide whether the work shall be maintained and extended, or whether the poor peoplo of the city shall be deprived of its ministrations. To fully meet the increasing calls on the service of the nurses, a new motor-car is needed. The present car was purchased secondhand seven years ago, and only skilful driving keeps it in commission at all. The sum required for a new car is about £4OO, for a new motor-ambulance. £BOO, and to maintain adequately the work of the association in all branches an assured income of at least £BSO must be forthcoming. ... First Aid at Sports Meetings. The first-aid work of the St. John Ambulance is well known. The services of 100 men and 80 women, trained by the association, are , given gratuitously at sports and other meetings. Last year, the number of cases attended to was 3247. On one recent Saturday, 19 grounds were attended, and no fewer than 270 cases received first aid, many of them slight, but some serious.

The organisation of to-day's appeal has been well planned, and no fewer than 26 leagues, clubs and philanthropic institutions will assist in tlio street collection, which will start at 7 a.m. and conclude at 7 p.m.

The objective is a high one, £2050, but a realisation of the issues at stake, the lives, health and welfare of a great 'body of citizens, entitles the appeal to the fullest measure of support that a sympathetic and generous public can bestow.