FIRE PRECAUTIONS.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 14, 2 August 1905, Page 3

FIRE PRECAUTIONS.

(To the Editor) . . . Sir,— The reoeut destructive fire at Ore r puki shows hew necessary it is that srt\all towns like that and our own should lose no time m organising a Bystem, by fire brigade or otherwise, of coping with such catastrophes. We un'erstand that when the Otautau Town Board laid their big drain down the Main street, the question of a water supply for fire extinguishing purposes was one of the main objects they had m view, and no doubt an ample supply of water is thus provided at any point along the Main Btreet for fire prevention purposes. It is only necessary now for some of the active and energetic citizens of Otautau, of which there are not a few, to organise themselveaHnto a fire brigade, with a capable captain and offioerß. Let the Board procure a hand fire engine and apparatus from some of the large towns, which have discarded these appliances for an up-to-date and more costly plant- I should be pleased to hear that our chief ci'.izeo had called a public meeting to discuss this most important question.— I am, etc.,

Citizen.

members of thL distinguished familr, m both it' failings and v.itues. He ! ad the Bla«k\yocd h.snioss of temper, whicu, on LCcaßion-, exbib ted i l self. At the s.ime time te 1 s one of th ' meekest of men, and n- ne fo quick t • repent of any display of temp* rush i. Oa the other hand he was b -nevol< nc to g -ner-outm-ss, and no deserving appral %as mado to him m vain. like biH b i>id m clc, of Edinburgh, who founded the Blind hit t-.tute m that city, suffering at all mrs -jailed forth his sympathy and help. During long years he *asa great sufferer himself, both fmm asthma aud brigbt's disease, whioh, instead of making him irritable and morosa, made him more sympaiheiicfiowards those w,ho were like suff jrers. Mr Blaokwood held iv dop ve'ieratio:i the m< m"iy of his mother, to whoe influence be attiilwteJ his early adherence to the faith wkhin him, and whose dying leija st, " nie3t me m Heaven," had b en one of the cbiuf factors m cementing him to that faith. His ambition had teen that he might; fulfi 1 that wish, whioh ambition would now ba sitisfi»d, as he had passed to his greater reward.