FIRE BRIGADES' CONFERENCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 748, 22 February 1910, Page 6

FIRE BRIGADES' CONFERENCE.

OPENED AT HASTINGS. (By Telegraph.-Prees Association.) ' ■•.: '"'. /' • ■;;.'■'Hastings, February:,a'.. ■■ The Fire Brigades' delegates, were 1 welcomed by the Mayor and : Mr. Dillpn, M.P. One. hundred, and eight brigades are represented, MrVW. Lucas presiding. ; Hβ stated that timportent'■matters 'on '.the order paper would claim the conference's attention.:" ,The delegates attended., a church parade on'.the racecourse yesterday. The' Eev.' Join Hobbs preached: There were 1200 present..: During, the afternoon the• delegates-nere entertained at a garden party on ; the; racecourse. ••' i At the confereiiee'. l it was reagain hoW a prize : essay competition, on-matters relating to-fire brigade work. A committee was set np to consider the question.of delegatesfares and other expenses connected with conferences- and 'demonstrations. ' The wnterence unanimously accepted an. explanatioai. regarding the action of ;■ the' Wangamu .Fire Brigade in.'pfesentinga gold,star to a.member,some months -before.it was t due. The conference then-ad-journed-hll to-morrow. • A_ meeting of .the Fire 'Brigades' , . Accident Assuxajice Society, was held at Hastings to-day. The executive's report stated , that, in 'spite of. numerous accident claims made and . paid, during the past year, tbMo was a satisfactory, credit balance. • Ihe,.report- recommended that rebates, for ensuing year'be: as follow r-Bngades not having drawn' in beneiits 50.per.cent.,of .their v total contributions to T*cedTe a 25 per cent, rebate ; orer.-SO per cent., 10 per cent, rebate;'7s per cent., no rebabe. After caieful : oon(Sideratioai of the question of swk benefits, the eiecufaTe'were of opinion that ample' proTOjon , now existed in this respect with friendly! societies, , - and 1 any'such 6clieme would be .altogether' outside the', object of the society. ■They; therefore, strongly recommended that no alteration should be made. Five brigades were admitted dur-' rngsthe' year/"and- tie. roll number of membersinow was 1518, or an.increase of 85 for-the-year.-The total'revenue for. the ■ year isas 4s.' 6d;, and payments for accidents £146' 10s., leaving a credit to/the accident fund'of-£1524 os. ldi ' '

'■;; ■■■'■'. GOVERNMENT GRANT. ,-..' ■ .fErTeleeraph.-Bpedal'Correspondent.).' •'".-- ■-. /... : ;,' Napier, February. 21.i A new aspect of the railway fare question. Mine up .at: to-day's. sitting of- the. ■ifire Brigades' Conference. The Secretary read a letter from' tho' Minister for Internal Affaire, stating that ~£4OO had •been,placed -on the appropriations for tho current financial, year as a grant to the association," and..for, the- expenses of the annual- conference, -but.'as ,the meeting this year , consisted' only:. o! • conference delegates, this amount, seemed somevrhat m excess .of ■'requirements.. It therel£o «V proposed -.to, , ;reduce the-grant to :*i)00,; which '.would be. paid on'applica;tion., .ThwVjeaOO.was, of {course,- inaddition to theamouni allowed this year for 'tie"cost:.of railway passes 'for delegates attending the conference (.£800).. The , «t penditure .'■ last, financial 'year' for : these railway, passes amounted to JBISS7. -During; ; the /discussion;'.' Captain; Spriggihs pointed; out; .that it wis' no 'use meeting : trouble halfway,: and it would' be better to awa.it 'developments before knuckling idown- :td, the Government , .in the matter of: railway fares. . The. Government ran , delegates by. ordinary, trains, :and al■thoughl;the' 'Government stated :the ex;pepse' was £}2SI, it was. really only) a .third , or a quarter of -that, amount. ■ On . the motion .'of _ Captain. Hansen , and Fire,man Bengon, it was decided to refer the question;to a .committee to report to to , •morrow's meeting..,; ' -, ••■ i\''.-,»••■.■ : - , -,