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ney, Wandsworth, and Clapham, and Kensington, endorse the views
of the Council, and desire the Board to undertake the duty proposed
to them? Only two Borough Councils expressed dissent to the
proposal, and one Board of Guardians. A considerable number of
other Authorities—Poor Law and Public Health—decided to take
no action, but cannot be deemed unfriendly to the movement, some
of them having expressed approval of the principle; whilst other
Sanitary and Poor Law Authorities, who did not honour the Council by
replying to their letter, may be regarded as, at the least, not hostile to
the proposal. And, lastly, it will be remembered that the Medical
Officers of Health of the City and County of London, competent
judges, surely, are all but unanimous in their desire that the Managers
should become the Authority for providing the needed Sanatoria.
It will be a great and notable day for London should the Asylums
Board avail themselves of this superb opportunity of adding to the
benefits they have already, in so many ways, conferred upon the
inhabitants of London.
PROPOSED EXTENSION OF THE AMBULANCE SERVICE.
In the first report for the current year (page 5), it was stated
that for non-infectious sick persons (other than the chargeable poor),
and private lunacy cases needing to be removed, from home, or school,
or place of business, to a hospital, nursing home, asylum, or any other
place, and able to pay a moderate fee for such service, no adequate
provision exists in the Metropolis. I further stated, that in my opinion,
no other public authority was so well fitted to make the necessary
provision for dealing with such cases, as the Metropolitan Asylums
Board, who, at their several ambulance stations, have an abundant
"plant" and staff available for the purpose.
In the second report (page 33) it was stated that the subject had
been considered at a meeting of the Board on the 7th March, in
connexion with a notice of motion referring it to the General
Purposes Committee to consider and report on the question of the
"desirability and practicability, or otherwise, of extending the
operations of the Managers' ambulance service so as to include the
transport of medical and surgical and lunacy cases; and, if considered
desirable and practicable, to suggest what steps should be taken to
place the Board's ambulances at the service of the public and upon
what terms." The motion was adopted.