The Hawera Star. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER, 23, 1927. COUNTY FIRE AREA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 23 September 1927, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER, 23, 1927. COUNTY FIRE AREA.

Delivered every evening by 5 o’clock \u Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki. Kaponga. Alton, Hurleyville. Patea, Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Okangai, Meremere. Fraser Road and Ararata

The Hawera County Council is to be congratulated upon the success ■which has attended its efforts to place fire protection for a special area within its boundaries upon a proper footing. In March last the council was still faced with a problem which had existed ever since the town of Hawera first spread beyond the borough boundaries —the problem of affording protection against fire to many residences which, though they paid rates to the county, were really, for all other practical purposes, situated within the town of Hawera. The occupants of these properties were painfully aware that though they were within easy reach of the Borough’s well-equipped fire-fighting plant, they had no legal call upon its services, and the fear was always present that an occasion might arise when they would be in urgent need of the brigade’s services. This position exercised the minds of members of the Fire Board equally with members of the County Council, though for somewhat different reasons. The County was concerned because some of its ratepayers, because they were county ratepayers and therefore contributed nothing to the Borough’s services, were deprived of a means of protection against fire which their neighbours living across the road and within the borough area, enjoyed as a right. But the Fire Board’s concern arose chiefly from the unfair position in which its chairman and brigade officers were placed every time an alarm was received from beyond the borough boundary. The brigade could not proceed to a fire in this outer area without the sanction of the chairman, and the chairman had thrust upon him the unenviable responsibility of deciding should a brigade, maintained by the borough ratepayers, turn out to save the property of people who paid nothing towards its upkeep, or should he obey the letter of the law and allow the fire-fighting plant remain in the station, perhaps only a few hundreds distant from the scene of the outbreak. The Board had never withheld the services of the brigade from any outbreak at which it cotdd do useful work, but the members were fully aware that the position was unsound and that they had to assume an unjust measure of responsibility for the protection of property which did not come within the scope of their legitimate activity. There was, too, always hanging over the board the possibility of having to declare some fire in the outer area too far over the boundary, and no member was desirous of having to define the limit of the board’s unauthorised and unpaid service. The chairman left the position keenly, as it was upon him fell the responsibility of sending or withholding the brigade, and it was largely due to his action in bringing the matter before the public through the columns of the “Star”—after he had consented to the brigade attending a fire at a residence which, though only a few minutes’ walk from-the centre of the town, was nevertheless outside the borough area- —that public interest in the position was again aroused and this time with some good effect. At first there was a deadlock between the two bodies, I the county and the board. The latter

was willing to extend its lire protection service to the residential area of the county upon payment of a comparatively small annual contribution —£75 —a sum which would enable the board to give the requisite service to the county people without throwing a financial burden upon the borough ratepayers. The county was of opinion that it would not be fair to grant a sum out of its general funds in order to benefit a few of its ratepayers, and it was of the opinion that it had no power to levy a rate upon the residents within that special area. It seemed then that the only way out was by a community effort, the residents desirous of procuring the board’s protection paying the required charge voluntarily. A difference of opinion occurred between the board and the county on the point, of responsibility for collecting the voluntary levy. The council believed that it was the board’s job and the board was just as definitely of the opinion that it was essentially the work of the council —a view which we had no hesitation in supporting at the time. The result of the voluntary levy was somewhat disappointing, only some £4B of the required £75 being guaranteed. Of late the matter has not been prominently before the public, but the council has been far from idle, and this week the county clerk, who has been closely associated with the county chairman in the whole of the negotiations with the Fire Board and subsequently with the Department of Internal Affairs and the Crown Law Office, was able to announce that the Minister had given an opinion that the county had power to levy a rate upon a special area within its boundaries for the purpose of granting lire protection to that area, though he was not then prepared to say that the power could be extended to rating on value of-buildings ,exclusive of site,, as had been suggested by Mr Harding. In working towards a solution of its own problem, the Hawera County Council has, it will probably be found, influenced the trend of the new legislation proposed in the Counties Amendment Bill which passed its second reading in the House -last night, for that Bill, in seeking to make provision for the present day requirements 1 of counties, has not overlooked the desirability of granting counties the right to take into consideration certain fire risks when framing their by-laws. •