ST. JOHN AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 851, 24 June 1910, Page 9

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE ASSOCIATION.

QUESTION OF GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES. Mr. C. P. Powles presided at a meeting of tho St. John Ambulance Association, held last evening. There were present Mesdames Waters, Pearson, Menzies, Corrigan, the Kev. .Jns. Paterson,. Messrs. W. B. Fisher. H. H. Seed, E. BaicombeBrown, and J. Cable. It was decided to hold the annual meeting of the association on a date between July 11 and 15 at the Concert Hall (if available). A committee, consisting of the chairman (Mr. Powles), secretary (Mr. J. D. Avery), treasurer (Mr. AV. B. Fisher), and Mr. Seed was appointed to make all arrangements in connection with the meeting. His Excellency the Governor is to be asked to preside. Tho following letter was received from the Christchureh Centre:— "In accordance with the resolution passed at ths late conference, I am writing to the Hon. the Minister for.lnternal Affairs to the elTect that at a conference of delegates from the four centres of the St. John Ambulance Association in New Zealand, held on March 26, it was unanimously resolved 'That all requests for Government subsidies be confined to Ambulance Day collections; and that all applications by sub-centres be made through tho centres,' also 'That this conference apply to. the Government for a subsidy on Ambulance Day collections made under the control of the four main centres of tho association in New Zealand, viz., Auckland, Wellington, Christchureh, and Dunedin,' the reason for the application beinsy that the association is doing a good public work which is shown to be necessary, and the only income received by tho association is subscribed by tho public, which is insufficient to meet' the demands made upon the association. Parliament meats in the last week In .Tune, and I am sending a copy of my letter to every member of Parliament in Canterbury and Westlaml prior to that date, and trust that you will attend to the members of your province in tune to allow united action being taken with a view to an amount being placed on the, Estimates. It is thought by my council that subsidies up to a total of .£I2OO per annum would meet the case.—Yours faithfully, C. J. Treleaven, Secretary. The letter was referred to as somewhat "crude," and the idea of circularising members of Parliament did not find favour with all present, but finally, on the motion of jlr. Fisher, it was decided to follow the Chrlstohuruh toad. \ ■ Tho Christchiifch Centre also forwarded a photograph of the illuminated address 'presented to . Lord Plunkct, prior to his departure, by Ihb four centrus of tho association. The chairman mentioned that Mrs. Rhodes should be heartily congratulated on the distinction conferred upon her by the Grand Prior, and a resolution was passed recording tho conferring on Mrs. Rhodes of the distinction of Lady of Grace in tho Order of St. John of Jerusalem.