The feilding Star. Oroua and Kiwitea Counties Gazette THURSDAY, MAY 23, 1907. The Fire Brigade Case.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 273, 23 May 1907, Page 2

The feilding Star. Oroua and Kiwitea Counties Gazette THURSDAY, MAY 23, 1907. The Fire Brigade Case.

Jt would not be possible for petty spite to be carried further than was evidenced at the S.M. Court yesterday, when the Captain and members of the Feilding Fire Brigade proceeded against two of those who had resigned from the Brigade because of the illegal election of the last Captain, for damages for not handing the uniforms back to the Brigade, knowing all the time that they were in the possession of the Town Clerk. As Mr Saywell stated on oath in Court that the uniforms were the property of the people of Feilding, neither he nor the other members of the Brigade had any personal interest in the matter, and we feel sure the people who provided the money to purchase the uniforms never desired such proceedings to be taken. As to the legal aspect of the case — if Mr Thomson really did base his decision on legal grounds — all we can say is that his innocence on that point must surely be assumed. To pretend not only that an unregistered association of persons has any legal right to property towards which they have not contributed a cent, but that they have a legal standing for its possession over men who were members of that association before they dreamt of joining it, is so ridiculous that we can hardly keep a serious face over it. And on top of it all, to contend that the Borough Council, which contributed so much towards the upkeep of the Brigade, has less right to the uniforms than the so-called members, reduces the whole proceedings to the veriest farce. In view of the taking over of the work of fire prevention by the now Board, perhaps it is best to treat the whole thing as a joke, but we doubt whether the public will think the laugh is on the side of those who were so anxious to air their shadowy claims in the Court. While we arc on this point we have two^questions to ask the Brigade : What steps have they taken to recover the seven guineas spent on a uniform for a member who was appointed to a position he could not legally occupy ; and what are they going to do about another member who received payment for two pairs of competition boots and pocketed the money?