FREE AMBULANCE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 63, 16 March 1931, Page 8

FREE AMBULANCE.

SCHEME FOR CO-OPERATION PROPOSED MR HIGGENS OFFERS SOLUTION. The following extract is taken fr.om a letter written by the chairman of the St John Association in Saturday’s “ Sun

. . . . There is an old saying. “ Live and let live,” which it would be well for Mr Higgens to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest. . . .

I feel confident that Christchurcl people are quite capable of recognising who is “ playing the game.”—J. Restel Thomas, Chairman, St John Ambu lance Association.

The following letter has been sent t. Dr Restell Thomas:— Dr J. Restell Thomas, Chairman, St John Ambulance Association

Dear Sir,—l have read and digested all your association has ; said about itself and us. 1 have also thoroughly, digested your association’s statement that all its work-was done voluntarily. You ask me to play the game. This I have done all through my life, and I now intend using your letter in my endeavour to play the game as I have never played it before, and this time to win.

On Friday next your street day i: being held. We on that day will b« holding a Free Ambulance Day (if thi: letter has no effect).

Advertising is costly, and I venture to say that both our societies are NOT PLAYING THE GAME if we continue to spend hundreds of pounds fighting over a FREE service. Doctor, let us pull ourselves together.

I haven’t started a campaign against your association yet, and do not want to unless compelled. Allow me to solve this problem of two free ambulances running in opposition. My committee are ready at any moment to resign in favour of a more representative body. Let his Worship the Mayor be elected president of the committee. Allow for six members to represent St John’s Brigade, St John’s Association and the Red Cross Society. Let the Hospital Board, Harbour Board, a sports board and four local boards select one mejnber each. Allow the Superintendent to be ex officio member, making a total of fifteen members oi Free Ambulance Committee. Surely, ' Doctor, this is not a hard thing to do. Your association would run the dressing stations, and would supply voluntary workers for the ambulances, and, apart from the two or three permanent officers we employ, all other staff could be filled by the committee from St John’s men. The new committee would get greater support, and wouTd get from the council at least £IOO immediately. Membership of your classes would be increased. This is Monday; FRIDAY IS THE DAY. If this scheme meets with the approval of your association I will withdraw my campaign, excepting I must give away five pound notes as promised. After all, it will be increasing the sales of the art union tickets, and that will indirectly help you if you e co-operate. I’ve placed the ONUS on your association to co-operate and save public money. Let Friday be a Free Ambulance Day for both. Let the public see we are candid, and I believe the public will appreciate the' fact that we both played the game. May I look forward to 3'ears of happy work with you? May I look forward to the day when all over the South Island the Yeliow Ambulances with the Maltese Cross will be operated by men from the St John Association? And may I look forward to the t’av when we shall laugh at the stupid idea of us trying to run two Free Ambulances? You now have the chance, Doctor, to allow me to play the game and to let me finish what I set out to do—give the citizens of the South Island a Free Ambulance Service, and allow me the pleastire of seeing Free Ambulances running from the most southerly to the most northerly points in the island —Free Ambulances painted yellow and manned by St John’s. If your association cannot do anything after this, sir, then I must go on and build this service up without your help, but one thing you will always get is courtesy, and I’ll play the game. Very faithfully 3'ours, A. E. HIGGENS, Superintendent, Christchurch Free Ambulance. Chairman of Sub-committee to deal with co-operation.