HASTINGS FIRE BOARD.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 239, 12 September 1912, Page 3

HASTINGS FIRE BOARD.

QUARTERLY MEETING

The quarterly meeting of the Hastings Eire Board was held at the fire station yesterday afternoon. Present : Messrs I'. Styles (chairman). H. M. Diddmrv. T. B. Ching. A. A. George, the Mayor (Mr. J. Game tt). mid B. C McCormick. Leave of absence was granteu to Mr. J. Mallard. CHAI UMAX'S REPORT. The chairman reported as follows

The Resident Committee have held two meetings since the date of the animal meeting, at which the follow-

ing was passed : —Arrangements were made for Graham and Gebbie to keep a motor car at the disposal of the board for £i for a night alarm and 10 - for a day alarm. A tender of £26 lb 6 was accepted for removing the firebell tower to our section m Market street and the work has been put in hand. While the work is being carried out the bell will hang from the top of the fire station. The proposed by-laws were again considered and a few alterations will be recommended at Hie quarterly meeting.

Mr. I). O’Reilly’s resignation has been received by the secretary, and the Minister of Internal Affairs has notified us of the appointment < f Mr. A. A. George as Government representative.

Owing to leaks having made their appearance in the station it war found necessary to have the cornice painted. This has been authorised and the work is to be carried out t.s soon as the walls are dry.

Tin l secretary has been in communication with the Borough Engineer, and as a result the engineer lias promised to supply the board with a plan showing the positions of <ll hydrants and valves within .he borough. Discs showing the distance' from street boundary lines to the various fire plugs are being prepared and erected. As a result of a conference between the board and the brigade, the business people of Hastings are being canvassed for subscriptions towards the purchase of a billiard table 1 nr the station. We will have to decide what sum, if any, the board should give towards the fund. Also, whether or not the board should insist on the table becoming the property of the board, seeing that it is to be housed in the station.

Since the annual meeting- the following cheques have been drawn -

Building Society instalments £69, Gas Company £3 8 8, Harbour Board to 10, British Dominions Company fire premium £1 13 1, Atlas Insurance Cmpany accident premium £2l 1 '6, Dunean and Abbott £8 19.6, Stubbs and Beck £l4 10 9, AV. Keith (on account) £53. sundries £l5 12 6. The borough high pressure water supply is not yet in full working order and we are obliged to rely mainly upon the steam fire engine for fire extinguishing purposes at present.

It was decided to write to the contractors notifying them that unless the leakage in the roof of the fire station was attended to within seven davs the work would be- carried out at their expense.

Some discussion took place regarding the proposal to purchase a billiard table.

Mr. George moved and Air. McCormick seconded that the holders of the money collected for the pur chase of a billiard table be requested to hand it over to the board, >be board to undertake the purchase ■ f the table.

The superintendent said the Fire Biigade had an offer of a table for £45. and more than that amount had already been collected.

Mr. Styles said he did not see why the board should have control of the table when the cost was being subscribed by people.

Mr. Didsbury moved an amendment,and Mr- Garnett seconded that the billiard table clause be amended to read that "the billiard table to become the property of the boaro seeing that it is to be housed in the station, the Resident Committee to attend to the purchase, the board's contribution not to exceeod £lO. The motion was withdrawn and the amendment carried. The report was adopted. S U PER IN TENDENT ’ S REPORT. The superintendent (Mr. C h is. Brausch) reported as follows : — In forwarding my quarterly report from July 10th, I beg to state that two fires have taken place, one fourroomed cottage in Slyvan road owned and occupied by Air. AV. N. Poole, and one five-roomed cottage in Pi inctss street owned by Air. Clarke, both a total loss on account of water being unobtainable through the fire, plugs being covered with shingle and soil from the sewer works. I find that a great many plugs have entirely disappeared with the heavy traffic. 1 have written to the council about the matter which should at once I e attended to, as it would prove a great assistance to the brigade if ilie fire plugs were kept clear.

Five hundred feet of new hose has arrived from the Napier Fi;- r . Brigades Supply Company.

The removal of tlie firebell tower to the fire brigade station in Market street is now in hand. The attendance of members at lire practice has been very satisfactory.

My inspection of public buildings proved satisfactory with the exception of the Princess Theatre, which requires the following;—(1) A new platform at the foot of the lire ex.is »n the western side, and one extra step off platform; (2) the door m

the east side of the building leading from right-of-way wants to be hanging outward up against the brmk wall ; (3) the apparatus box should be repaired, am! the enclosure liit-M with iron or fire resisting material, and also with self closing smoke premf door, as the present box is not saw ; I Lave notified the Borough Council and the proprietor of the Piinr-iss Theatre that this work must be car-

ried out before the license can Be granted. The tire station should be provided with a map of tlie reticulation of

town, and also a pressure gauge should be installed without delay, I hope you will proceed with the erection of the plug indicators as soon as

possible, as they arc a great assist-1 ante to the brigade in locating riiej position of tlie plugs. j In reply to Mr. George, the super’,i-1 Undent said the alterations to 'he I Princess Theatre had not yet been: attended to.

Mr. George said the board should support tlie superintendent. If <ne work was not carried cut the license for the building should bo withdrawn, and if it was withdrawn then the proprietor should be prosecuted for using the building without a lieen-e. The alleged proprietor bad "gigged’’ at the superintendent for a long time and the Borough Council had shuffled tlie responsibility. On tb.e motion of Mr. George, it

was decided to write to the council asking that the proprietors of the theatre be required to carry out the alterations before the license was issued.

It was decided to ask the Hastings Borough Council to lay the water supply on to the new fire station as soon as possible.

It was further decided to instal the necessary fittings as soon as the water is available. CORRESPONDENCE.

The Minister for Internal Affairs wrote approving of the estimates for the current year.—Received. The Town Clerk, Hastings, notified that a plan of water reticulation was being prepared and would be supplied to the station. The discs indicating the position of the fire plugs were now being erected. — Received.

E. List forwarded his resignation as second engineer of the Hastings Fire Brigade.- Accepted, and appreciation of his services to be placed on record.

The Hastings Fire Brigade applied for twelve two years’ service bars.—To be purchased. Tb.e Deputy-Superintendent, W. Keith, wrote asking what was his position in regard to fire alarms, and if it was not the duty of the caretaker to notify him by telephone. —Left in the hands of the Supei int endent. A COMPLAINT. Fireman W. Graham wrote stating that the Superintendent had requested him to return his uniform, and he wished to know whether the Superintendent was acting under the instructions of the board. He

had resigned his position some twelve months ago, but was asked to remain a fireman under the Association, which he did, and attended fires.

In reply to Air. George, the Superintendent stated that Graham hael not attended two-thirds of the musters required by the board to entitle him to boot money, and therefore was not a member. No letter had been written to Graham by either the secretary of the board or the Fire Brigade. Graham had resigned his position on returning from Hokitika competitions in March, 1911, and several members had complained that a fireman who had not attended the meetings should not go to competitions as a representative of the brigade. He agreed with this, and Graham’s services were accepted on the auxiliary roll. - -The letter was received and no action taken. OTHER BUSINESS. In accordance with .’.otice given. Air. George moved, "That the memorial stone on the fire station from which the letters of some names have been wilfully and maliciously picked, be refilled.—Carried. Air. George also moved, "That any properly (except the private belongings of the caretaker or permanent firemen) be the sole and absolute property of the Fire Board immediately it is placed in the building.”—The motion lapsed for want of a seconder.

Air. George gave notice to move at the next meeting, “That in the next year’s estimates a sum of, say, £lO per annum be set aside for the formation of a fire station library c>f books of special interest to the fire service, special attention being given to books on the Technical Work of Fire Brigades.” Accounts amounting to £47,1/were passed for payment.