FIRE BRIGADES BOARD V. COUNCIL. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 136, 5 December 1907, Page 8

FIRE BRIGADES BOARD V. COUNCIL. TO THE EDITOR.

Sit, — As a ratepayer, and writing on. behalf of a munber> of ratepayers in reference to tho control of tho Fire Brigades' Board v. Council, I quite agree with what you say — that councillors "should provo somo definite disadvantages before throwing away the solid pecuniary benefits which tho Act offers." The disadvantages advanced so far ni-o theoretical as against what has been )Drovcd by practice, for if similar Acts havt- worked woll from a municipal point of view in tho different States of Australia for twenty years or over, why should thoy not work here? The powers Conferred by the Act on' the. superintendent as to flic blocking of streets, shutting off of. water, pulling down buildings, etc., aro_ only tho samo as those already contained in" tho Municipal Corporations Aot, and which powers havo been exorcised for years past by every firo inspcotor in Ne\y Zealand. I take it that tho firo boards will be just as anxious that thoso powers shall bo as carefully used by the persons they appoint, in the future, as they havo been in the past, by the inspectors appointed by tho local councils-, and it must be remembered that tho City Council will still havo suparvision by men us of their throe representatives on tho board. Now, as to tho financial benefit. Put it this way: The estimated cost of maintenance for the year is £7000. Say it remains at thai figure for 26 yearn ; this makes a total of £182,000. (Jnder tho board, after deducting the Government contribution of £400 per annum and tho insurance companies' contribution of £3300 per annum, the amount left for tho council- to find is £3300 ; but thero is the repayment to the council, extending over twenty-six years, of tho capital value and interest on the land, buildings, and plant taken over by tho beard. I believo the City Council's estimate of the value ' of the property is close on £40,000, but say £38,000. Fiveper cent, on that amount, £1900, is to .be repaid to tho council every year fcr the twenty-six years; so, deducting this from £3300, leaves the sum of £14-00 per annum, instead of tho whole amount of £7000. Summing it up, in place of paying £182,000 the council pays £36,400— a saving to the ratepayers for tho period stated of £143,600, and the properties will still be vested and usod for the baino purpose for which they are to-day, and the City Council 'will still have a cay in the managemonl. — I am, etc., JOHN WEIGHT, Captain Wellington Fire Police. Wellington, 4th December, 1907. PHYSICAL TRAINING.