HUGE WASTE BY FIRES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 195, 19 August 1927, Page 5

HUGE WASTE BY FIRES.

'MILLION POUNDS A YEAR." PARLIAMENT'S APATHY. rgj "A FOOL OF AN ACT."' (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, this day. "It strikes me as a fool of an Act, and one which, badly needs revision," declared Mr. D. E. Wilkie, after being elected chairman of the Fire Boards Conference to-day. He was referring t0 the Fire Brigades Act, which, he slid, provided for the hohlding of a conference, but bad been read so narrowly by the Department of Internal Affairs that no money might be spent on renting a jail for a conference or for reporting jnd printing its proceedings. jlr. Wilkie said fire preventing was a mos t important national service. Every year a million pounds' worth of prowent up in smoke —a huge waste, much of which could be prevented, yet nothing was done. Members of ParliameEt talked about every other subject, gome of which were of no importance, one aspect of trade or industry giwwed a small loss they talked and alked about it, yet no party in the House seemed to concern itself with the luge economic loss caused by fire. Metropolitan Boards. A resolution was carried declaring that the Act should be so amended as to permit the formation of Metropolitan fire Boards in the four main centres. A remit was passed to amend the Act to provide for the payment of the reasonable expenses of conferences and also the establishment of a central fund for the payment of conference expenses. A demonstration of fire-fig-hting appliances will be given to-morrow. ■m =====