THE GOVERNMENT AND THE FIRE BOARDS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12932, 11 October 1907, Page 6

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE FIRE BOARDS.

Within the past two or three days the Statutes Revision Committee, to whom were remitted the Fire Brigades Act Amendment Bill, have had heforo them the evidence of delegates to the Fire Boards' Conference. The result of that evidence should be seen in numerous amendments in tho Bill when it i<; reported to tho Houso. "Wo have already pointed out that thero is plejity of room for improvement. Further acquaintance with tho Bill does littlo to remove- one's first impression that il was crudely drafted, and that the advice of those who have to administer it was not sought to the- degree that was advisable. Wo have already referred to the stinginess of th>> Government in proposing to pay only £150 as its annual contribution towards tho funds of the Christchurch Bcord —to contribute, that is, one thirty-fifth of the revenue, although tho valuo of the improvements on Government property in the district is nearly one-tenth of tho total valuo of tho improvements orb all property therein. The proposed contribution by the Government is simply preposterous. In. Victoria the Government Is represented on tho Fire Boards by ono member in three, in New South Wales by one in four, and in New Zealand by ono in seven. But in each of tho Australian States it contributes onethird of tho total revenue, whereas in New Zealand it coolly proposes that it shall par but one-thirty-fifth share. In the Australian States, ako, the exact amount of tho Gox-crrunent's contribution. Varies from year to year, according to the revenue required; hero it is fixed nt £150 a year. Its proportionate sharo may bo one-.thirty-fifth this year, but if from any causo the cast of administering the Brigade in Christchurch were to bo doubled in any one year, tho State's share would 6till be. .£l."iO. nvA its proportion of tho cost would drop to oneseventietli. The trholo thiirgj is so palpably unjust that we do not believe tho Houso will sanction such an arrangement. The actual amount to be paid by tho Government should, as a matter of fact, depend, as do the amounts of the other contribution. s ;, on the sum required to carry on for the ensuing year. The Government may also fairly be called upon to mako a special contribution for the first yeox, since it is owing to its delay in bringing in a workable Act that special expenditure is necessary. The City Council, faced with the prospect of having to hand over the control of the Fixe Brigade to a ,Fire Board, am! of liaving to pay a good she re of tho annual cost, did not for the past year or tiro spend money so freely as it might otherwise have done in the maintenance or renewal of tho plant. The latter has in consequence suffered deterioration, ami dilapidation, necessitating considerable expenditure by tho Board

to p"t things in good order. This condition of affairs should bo recognised and met by the Government. The provision whereby tho City Council raises th© money required from it also requires amendment. Tho Act of lest year empowered the Council either to pay it out of general rate or by means of a special rate not exceeding a penny in the £ on tho utiniial rateable value of the buildings in tho district. Hut this riit« in not sufficient within several hundred pounds tv provido tho necessary amount. Tho powers to tho Fire Hoard to borrow money aro not, Tery .sutis>i\iotory as they st«nd at present, and difficulty is likely to arise under this head milco* tho clauso ies amendisJ. Tlicro aro numerous other points in tho Hill which need amendment. Tho Hoards, for instance, though empowered to appoint officers, havo no definite authority to remove them—a contingency which is not so remote that it ought not to lw> provided for. Tho Hill, of course, provides for tho appointment of iStato Inspectors—no Government measure would be complete, without an addition Jo thus great army—and it is characteristic ot' tho way in "which this particular Act has boon, framed that there is no definition of tho Inspector's duties. We could sufijiest that if tho "Inspector of Fire Hrigndes" and his Deputy-Inspector «ro to bo of any assistance to tho Hoard; they must bo men of wide experienoo and proved skill in fire-fighting, acquainted with tho most modern methods ai:d opplianew?, and capable of helping to inaugurate the now order of things. Unless they possCFs these tjualiflrations they ■will be. useless cxcrfisccnces upon ijhe. cyst-cm. Wo trust that there ■will 1k» no moro unnecessary delay in fixing up tho Bill in a workable shapo and passing it through Parliament, a* already tho position of tho Firo Boards is abo\it as unfair to them and an embarrassing as it is possible to conceive.