INSPECTOR OF FIRE BRIGADES.

Superintendent Hugo, of the Weir lington Fire Brigade, who has been apppointed Inspector of Fire Brigades, has had considerable experience io connection with fires. He was born in Liverpool in. 1860, and after serving his time at sea, settled down to a shore life, about 1885, in South Australia. He was connected with various fire brigades in that State until his appointment to the superintendency of the Wellington Brigade in 1899, with the exception of tho period from 1888 till 1893. Of those five years, two were spent in America, where Mr Hugo gained further experience of fire brigade work, and three were spent on the ocean wave as a ship master. The positions held successively by Mr Hugo under the South Australian Fire Board were as follow : — Member of the Port Pirie Brigade, officer in charge of the Port Adelaide Fire Brigade, second officer in charge of the Adelaide City Brigade, and officer in charge of the North Adelaide District Brigade. Mv Hugo was holding this last appointment when ho was given the position of Superintendent in this city. There have been four really large fires while he has been in charge — the Hawker-st. fire, D.I.C, Lambton Quay, and Parliamentary Buildings. In the case of the two largest, those in Hawker-street and on Lambton. Quay, the brigade waa rendered helpless by the want of water.