HAWERA FIRE BOARD,

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXVIII, 21 June 1912, Page 2

HAWERA FIRE BOARD,

ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of the Hawera' Fire Board was held on Thursday. There were present: Messrs W. Sar■rcspn (chairman), F. P. Corkill, H. > Stocker, R. D. Welsh, and W. Baker. , Leave of absence was granted to Mr J. Paton. CONFERENCES OF FIRE BOARDS. A letter was received from the Christ-chm-ch Fire Board advising that the proposed conference had been indefinitely postponed. Another communication was read from the Palmerston North Fire Board suggesting that a conference of Fire Boards should be held at an early date Ito consider matters of interest to Brigades genera%. On the motion of Messrs Stocker and Welsh it was decided to approve of the conference, and that the chairman be asked to represent the Board at the conference. MILITARY TRAINING. The Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce wrote asking the Board to approve of a resolution supporting the Minister for Defence in carrying out , the new training scheme. j The chairman said the Hawera Borough Council had approved of the resolution. Mr Corkill: It has nothing to do with us. No action was taken, the letl^r to merely lie on che table. THE WATER SUPPLY. A letter was received from the Royal Insurance Company with reference to the partial failure of the water supply at the Central Hotel lire, and asking that steps be taken to prevent a recurrence of the trouble. Mr Corkill: This company is voicing the general feeling of the insurance companies. Nothing could have been more unsatisfactory. The Chairman: The Council are going into the matter and there is every prospect of an improvement being effected.

SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT The Sxiperintendent (Mr Keen) reporting on the recent lire, said quite a number of firemen did not hear the bell on the morning of the fire. "With reference to the water pressure he considered the best thing to be done would be to duplicate the main and construct underground concrete tanks, six of large capacity, and for the Board to procure a fire engine which would serve for all time. With reference to the difficulty of the bell, Mr Corkill said he would not be surprised if the Board in the future would not have to consider the ndvisableness of installing individual alarms to all the firemen's residences. They were the people whom the Board wished j to turn out. The Chairman: Yes. Mr Welsh considered that the Board ! should face the difficulty at once, to ensure the bell being heard all over the town, and the best thing to do would be to remove the bell to another site. The Chairman: Where can we get a site? Mi- Welsh: It would be, better in Wilson Street than where it is now. Mr Corkill said " the Board had a good bell, but were not getting the best results. The configuration of the country was probably responsible for I this, and there was no doubt that the bell was in the wrong position. j After some further discussion, it was resolved, on the proposition of Messrs Uorkill and Stocker, that the local members confer with the object of car-! l-ving out experiments to ensure the bell being heard by everyone. I CHEMICAL EIRE ENGINE. ! Mr Corkill introduced the advisa-i bleness of purchasing a chemical fire' engine. He said the present position was a serious one until the improvement of the water pressure had been effected. Uew Plymouth were purchasing a chemical engine on the recommendation of Inspector Hugo. Pie moved that a chemical fire eniane- be procured at a cost of £60. - Mr Stocker, who represented the insurance companies, seconded the motion, which was carried. A VACANCY. It was decided that, as Mr' Barton had failed to attend three consecutive meetings, his seat be declared vacant, and that ihe Borough Council be requested to appoint a successor.