The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning. Saturday, December 10, 1887. OUR FIRE BRIGADE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 78, 10 December 1887, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Morning.

Saturday, December 10, 1887. OUR FIRE BRIGADE.

Be jtut and fear not; Let al! tha ends thou aim'st at be thy country’s. Thy God’s, and truth’s.

A correspondent, over the nom de flume of "Townsman,” sends us the following letter, which is certainly entitled to careful consideration :— Sts,—l hear that the member* of the local Fire Brigade are again going in for a teat competition, and intend shortly to send a team down South. Now, I should not in any way care to baulk the efforts of our Brigade but I do not think this sort of thing should be encouraged to any great extent. I remember a couple of weeks ago seeing in your paper an extract from a Napier journal, whioh ridiculed the idea of such competitions. It said that it did more harm than good, and that while they might have the best team in New Zealand, if the Brigade were not efficient, the team would be no earthly use. Ido not altogether agree with that, but I do think it is a mistake to let our best men go away down to Dunedin, and leave the town to the mercy of chance. We know what occurred last year, when the Brigade members arrived just in time.—Hoping you will ventilate this important matter, etc.

It is well that close interest should be taken in the work of the Brigade, the efficiency of which no doubt depends in a great measure upon the public support accorded. The men have to spend a great deal of time, and to submit to many inconveniences and sometimes hardship in the execution of the duties they have taken upon themselves, and they are entitled to every consideration. At the same time the points raised should be at once replied to, and the members of the Brigade relieved of any doubt as to the position in which they stand. The same question was previously raised when the last team left the district, but the Superintendent of the Brigade (Mr Townley) gave an assurance that in case of fire everything was in readiness to cope with the emergency, and that any vacancies in the ranks had been filled by competent supernumaries. There is no reason to bring Napier into the question. The circumstances may be different, and we should be quite able to come to a decision without reference to outsiders. The members of the Gisborne Brigade are volunteers, asking no payment for

their services, and depending solely on the generosity of the public. The spirit of the thing must therefore be kept up as much as possible, and one of the best methods of attaining this object is to give the men something to look forward to. In striving to make themselves competent to contest with the best teams, the men gain lessons which have a most wholesome effect. The individuals become expert, new vigor is imparted to the whole body, and the efficiency of the Brigade judged from a much higher standard than it could be if no such competitions were permissible, They have their disadvantages no doubt when they are held at such a distance from the town, but when it is not for our men to choose they must take the course which they consider the most favorable.

Our correspondent has brought forward the question in good time, and it will be for the Superintendent of the Brigade to aliay any feeling of anxiety. As funds will be required for the trip, a feeling of unanimity must if possible be ensured. The main point raised requires an official reply. If it is satisfactorily shown that the efficiency of the Brigade will not in a great measure be impaired by the absence of thoS.e who are going to take part in the contest, then every assistance should be given to the selected competitors.