THE FIRE BRIGADE.

Press, Volume XII, Issue 1476, 1 August 1867, Page 2

THE FIRE BRIGADE.

TO THB EDITOR 07 THB PBESS. Sib, —I see by your report of the publio meeting held for the purpose of forming a Fire Brigade, that no one was found willing to enrol himself under the new regime. The members of the former Brigade stood on their dignity, and held aloof. This of coureo, was to be expected, but I. scarcely thought that after the efforts that have been made, ,and all that hiss been said on the subject, there should not be one man willing to offer his services for the protection of the houses of his fellow man from fire,. I was not at tho rocei» ing myself, but I see by your report of it that ,a good many who are interested in the subject were there, and I am surprised that they should have, shrunk back as soon as 'they were asked to come forward to do any thing. Captain Wilson, the now superintendent, addressed the meeting, but does not seem to have touched upon either the duties to be performed or, the remuneration to be received by the members of the Brigade. His only allusion to the matter was that he should require constant attendance in order that the men might become efficient, bat ho did not explain bow often be wished tho men to turn out for drill, for I presume that if tho brigade bo formed, a course of drill will have to be gone through in the same way ao they do iv Southland, where they have a very good set of men and a capital system. Under these circumstances, with such vague idea* as to wh*t they might be called upon to do, it is perhaps not very, extraordinary that men should havo hesitated to enrol themselves, and that they should require that the whole of the details of the scheme should be hid be-

fore them. The meeting was a more sham, and if Captain Wilson did not intend to explain the number of times the men would have to turn out for the purpose of drill instruction, the different bodies into which they were to be divided, and the peculiar dutiei to be discharged by tbem, tho public should not have been called together at all. For my own part I fully believe that the appointment of the new superintendent is in faofc not one which the greater part of the men wbo iv*« connected with, th* Fire Brigade are prepaid to endorse, and that it is owing to this that a reluctance to take any decisive step has btfen shown. It is a very great pity that jus* as there appeared some prospect of a brigade being formed on an improved principle and a more satisfactory footiug anything should have the effect of throning ua back into the same position as we were before, if uot into a worse state than ever, for at present nothing is settled, alia should 6 fire unfortunately occur aoir t it Hf

possible that the dissatisfaction that is felt by Jhe jCotmer Jirigjade .atjbe way In which they have been treated might interfere with their endeavours to check the conflagration. I cannot imagine what special qualification Captain Wilson possesses that the City Council should have chosen him of all the persons in the place to act in a capacity where, of all others, activity and quickness are sure to be indispensable on many occasions As far as I can yet see I would not join the new brigade, nor do I think any other man, who can do an j thing, will. At the same time, I sincerely trust that steps may be taken to explain satisfactorily all the objections that I have urged, and then it is probable that I might be induced to join. I am, sir, yours, Sec, Wbt Blanibt.