NO AMBULANCE!

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2880, 19 September 1916, Page 6

NO AMBULANCE!

REMARKABLE STATE OF. AFFAIRS Ring-a-ling-a-ling! "Yea?" "That The Dominion ?" "Yes." "Dr. Blank speaking; Are you awaro that at iho present time there is no ambulanco available in Wellington?" "Is that so—how's that?" "Well, I don't know exactly—but the fact remains that if the most serious accident were to 'happen no motor ambulance is available. I'vo aipatient who should be shifted to the 'Hospital at oiico and I can't get it done." "What about the Hospital?" "Their ambulance is broken down." "And St. 'John Ambulance?" "Can't get an answer on the 'phone —they've shut up and gone home." "All right, doctor—will make inquiry." lting-a-ling-a-ling. Ring-a-ling-a-ling. "Six-seven-nought." "Yes." ' 'That six-seven-nought ?" "Yes." i "Have you got an ambulance?" "No—there's no ambulance here!" "But 670 is the ambulance car number on the telephone list!" "Yes—but there's no motor here!" "Will you please tell me to whom I am speaking?" / "Yes, Johnston's stables—the ambulance was here, not now I" Ring-a-ling-a-ling. Ring-a-ling-a-liug. "One-thirty, please." "Yes." "That Hospital?" "Yes." "Have vou a motor ambulance?" "Yes." "In working order?" "No —why, who's speaking?" "Dominion newspaper speaking." "No—it's'out of commission." "For how long, some days past?" "What's wrong with it?" "Something wrong with the magneto." "When will it he available?" "Don't know!" "Thanks!" Ring-a-ling-a-ling. The above is actually a telephonic interlude that took place at 5.40 o'clock last evening. It appears that a wellknown medical man had urgent need for an ambulance and actually could not get one. This in a city of 80,000 people in the year 1916. The only tiling omitted from tho abovo verbatim account was the ring given to the number that stands against the words "St. John Ambulance Association" in the directory. There was no answer, so there was no conversation to report. It is suggested that tho City might utilise the Central Fire Brigade _ Station and the. members of tho brigade to run a motor ambulance. With so many men, the work of keeping an ambulance in order and doing an occasional job in_ an emergency would be doing a service to the community by providing against such, lapses as that recorded above. Perhaps one of tho recently-acquired motor chassis that the city acquired at great ■ expense might be so' utilised.