IS IT NEEDED

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 19, 17 January 1929, Page 5

IS IT NEEDED

.AMBULANCE FOR STBATPOKD.. VIEWS ON THE In view of the question of providing an ambulance for Stratford having been mentioned at the meeting of the Hospital Board on Tuesday a "Post" reporter set out to gatiher s!ome views on the matter. CASE FOR THE PROPOSAL, Mr. C. R. Finnerty, who spoke about the. ambulance at the meeting of the Board, being approached, said that (the Board had previously considered the proposal. About four years ago the matter was gone into fully, and it was then cost £4OO to £SOO, but the cost found that a suitable vehicle would might bo lower now. Some accidents which had occurred lately'had created a feeling that an ambulance was a necessity. The Hospital Board had always striven to keep expenses down, and four years ago. they decided that as the district was a small one the expense o£ an ambulance was not justified. Perhapg what most, of all influenced the Board in turning down the proposal was the expense of providing a man to drive the vehicle, and a, suggestion was made that, perhaps the ambulance might be housed at one of the garages, the, garage to provide a driver when required. However, the proposal had been definitely turned down. Now, it was found that the work in the grounds at the hospital was increasing year by year, and in the present'

year more money than ever had been spent "in getting casual help for the gardener. It was desired that the gardener should keep the hospital in vegetables all the year round, but recently vegetables had to be, purchased, apparently because, without a good deal of help, the. gardener cannot ensure a continuous supply of vegetables. What he (Mr. Finnerity) proposed was that the difficulty of providing a driver should be got! over by engaging a young man permantly to help the gardener, this person to be available to drive the ambulance. ■ ...:..,L_l

STRETCHERS REQUIRED,

A citizen who was asked for his opinion said that the question was one for descision by the Hospital Board, but in his view an ambulance was part' and parcel of.the equipment of an up-to-date hospital. Failing an ambulance, he thought ithe Board should have, stretchers at various places in town where they could be easily got at ! in case of accident. Suitable plao! es for these were the lire .station and "the motor service station in Broadway north, which were open all day and all night. There was a stretcher at the railway station, he knew, but this was for purely railway requirements and it was. lent for. general purposes only in exceptional circumstances. A wheeled stretcher would also be decidedly handy.. HOSPITAL BOARD CHAIRMAN. At the present juncture, said Mr. W. L. Kennedy, chairman of the Hospital Board, to the pressman, there did) not seem t*» be any press, ing need for an ambulance During the past year, since the matter was last discussed by the Board,, circumstances had not Changed aaid the need for it had net arisen. What was to be done could still be quite well done by motor cars and lorries as in the past. It was really hard to say whether or not the expense of an ambulance was justified!. If vthe number of patients, at the hospital kept on increasing no doubt the matter, would have to bo reviewed. However, the population in the hospital district was not increasing, and the large* nnftifcer of T**ple using ihe w;tnl arose from the fact that the prejudice against it was breakins; down, and it was now tang used by nil classes, of the com™mitjr. All (patient® .poke JlngUy .of « treatment, and he thought Stratford peoi>le hod every reason to be proud of their hospital. _ 1 Mr. Kennedy saut the Board had