FIRE PROTECTION.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20730, 15 December 1932, Page 13

FIRE PROTECTION.

PROVISION FOR UNITED FIRE DISTRICTS. EFFECT OF NEW LEGISLATION. Under legislation passed this year provision is made for the constitution of unit.ed fire districts within a radius of fifteen miles of a city. The Act is permissive as to the establishment of such districts, not mandatory. The exception is in respect of the Auckland united firo district; which is constituted under the Act and comes into existence on March 31st, 1933. Tho district will comprise Auckland city and the boroughs of Mount Eden, Mount Albert, Newmarket, Onehunga, and One Tree Hill. In respect of Christchurch, Wellington, and Dunedin, it will bo competent, under the Act for contiguous local bodies within a fifteen miles radius to mako representations to the Minister for Internal Affairs regarding their desire to form a united fire district, and it will rest with the Minister to decide whether or not a united fire district shall be constituted. Mr T. M. Charters, chairman of tho Christchurch Fire Board, stated to a representative of The Piiesh yesterday that under tho Act tnere was no provision for, say, tho borough of Kaiapoi to come into the Board's district automatically. So far as the Christchurch Board was concerned, it had not discussed the Act and was carrying on as hitherto. The Board's original district was the City of Christchurch, but under the amending legislation of 1926 it was empowered to extend its district to contiguous boroughs and counties, and under agreements with tho borough of Ificcartou and the counties of Heathcoto and Waimairi it provides * them with fire protection.