AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 680, 3 December 1909, Page 8

AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION.

: r!- GOVERNMENT GRiNTS -TO' STOP. >: ' A 'deputation: of members representing' th« four cities waited on Sir Joseph AVard yesterday in regard to: tho disappearanco from. tho Estimates of government.grants,to the various branches' bf ;the .St. J.ohn :;Ambulanpo lAssociatioiii ■■ '■''' - ,; - - ! \' ■ ■■ .': ■ ■ Mr.'T. H.Davey,,M.P,, who introduced the-doputation.-ißaid that they did not' desire-'to ignore the! Minister tor Publio ■ Health, ■' but ■ "Air. ■ Buddo. had been' approached' both -by■ let-' tervimd by. questions, in .the House, and had ' declined to put a; voto on .the Estimates. Tho deputation wanted tho Government to subsidise * voluntary' .'contributiona, .'.to'! the 1 Association, / which was doing' line, work. The cfenties ot the. Association had • no' income, except > suet . fees as were paid,by;members..of.sdcietiesj'-raU' way"nieni,and,'publio bodies,:!and:those barely suniced- : to -pay .fees ; .to'' the;'association's)',lec« turors and exnininersiv. There wero A office ex« pensesi. rent: of,; class-rboms,,. and! .the ; upkeep of tho ambulance dopots. to, b0. , , provided, from voluntary, contributions, and it -was probable , that, in the,\past "tho Government! grant liadl been an incentive t'o the public to give. ' ■ Mr. Ji P. Luke, M.P., , drew attention" to • tho workdono by Wcllingten ladies, and mentioned that .Sir; Joseph and his family ! had always itaken a. great, interest in it. ,'. :\ : " / Mr.' R.A.i.Wright; M.P.,'while deprecatin« continual demands for. , , Governtaeut money'in these; days of'retrenchment, thought''that i{ there was deserving; oase; jt,!.was this. , The Wellington centre,'formerly; received ii grant of £259, and Wollington' had shown sympathy by. raising■'. .£IOOO gross!- by; means of a recent bazaar. ■ ~,■'-,■..'- ■'.: ...-.'"■'. Mr. G. Witty,'M.P.,' throw-out a suggestion that the limit Iho grant and subsidise, subscriptions raised by centres and sub-centres. .■•'■. Messrs. Baume. Pople; Glovbr, Phijlipps, Q, M. Thomson, and Clark; MJ'.'s, also spoke. Sir Joseph Ward said'-he cordially recognised tho great amount/ of" good accomplished' by, tho associations, but :the great difficulty • was. to discriminftto an.d.sut centres.'. Many.-of /-tho : latter:had also 7 :applied for.- Government assistance. The. oxpeiiditure on tho Public .Health Department'had bees • considerably reduced this yp.ar;vbut'it- (itv pcared to be gradually mountinEUp'again.vand ■ great caro wouldihave;to bo oxercised in mals ing grant3to' bodies. 'However, he?,would-g<,' into;the matter,; and if tHo.Gbvernment.'dMidoo 'to?make:any grKnts they would'.appear , oh v th« , Supplemontary i :'Estiraates. ;l . '-'''"iv:^ ;■■•...,■.;'■'.