New fire board chairman

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32903, 29 April 1972, Page 1

New fire board chairman

Mr J. W. S. Stevens was elected chairman of the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Board at its annual meeting yesterday. He defeated Mr N. G. Pickering, chairman for the last three years, in a secret ballot.

The chairman receives an honoranium of S6OC a year.

Mr Pickering, congratulating Mr Stevens after the ballot, said he knew Mr Stevens would make a good chairman.

“I will be frank, and say that I would have liked another year as chairman; but that would have been my last," said Mr Pickering. “I must say that I have had the very able support of all members of the board as its chairman the last three years. It has been hard work.” Mr Stevens was appointed

to the board four years ago as a representative of the insurance companies. He was on the Westport, Reefton, Greymouth and Hokitika fire boards for 12 years. Mr Dr T. Stickings, who nominated Mr Pickering, said that the staff had been on a “very short fuse” when Mr Pickering had become chairman. “He has listened to the men and the union with kindness and Christianity. I must thank him for all he has done to improve the conditions of the men and relations between the staff and the board." His rival’s nominator, Mr D. J. Kelleher, said too that Mr Pickering had been a very good chairman and done excellent work. “Perhaps the time is opportune for a change, as the ballot has indicated,” he said. His motion of thanks to the outgoing chairman was carried with acclamation. During the period when Mr

Pickering was chairman of the board, the firemen’s hours had been reduced from 112 hours to 40 hours a week, said the secretary of the Canterbury Fire Brigades’ Union (Mr G. G. Walker) last evening. “The great improvement in hours and conditions for firemen employed by the Christchurch board has been largely a result of Mr Pickering’s ability to see both sides of a question, and his determination to stick to reasoning in negotiations. “Mr Pickering has always shown himself keen to be informed of any grievances that might arise, and to be ready to strive to have them ironed out at an early stage.” He said that the union was very much aware of the liberal outlook of the new chairman also. Mr Stevens was assessor for the Christchurch board in the recent national negotiations.