Correspondence.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, 15 October 1863, Page 3

Correspondence.

THE FIRE ENGINE.

To the Editos or the ' Nelson Examinee.'

Sib — The remarks in your leader of the Bth October, upon the disunion of the people in bo many different ways, are quite true and just, so far as you have gone, and I think you might have gone further on the same subject; but I beg to direct your attention to one thing upon which all classes are unanimous, and that is in respect to the responsibility of working the fire-engine now in our possession. The Government have provided a good one, and placed it at the command of whoever may need it, and they have no more to do with it. Ihe agents of Insurance Companies have done the same, and they hare done all their duty. Those who insure do all their duty when they take oat » policy— that endi their bmineit.

The labouring classes, who pay their rent to their landlord, have generally but little to lose, and ifc i 3 clearly their duly to provide bread for their families, and may think well it they can do that with every-! thing at famine prices. Thus all are united in opinion that they are not responsible. I I opine that if a fire brigade was properly organised and drilled, a very different result would be obtained than that of last Tuesday. "What could be expected from sucli a trial ? it was only a little pastime, no one was responsible for anything. Mr. Snow was uot able to send the water up into tho clouds, unless there had been sufficient strength at the pumps ; neither was the engineer able to do more than he did ii\ seeing the engine in proper -working order, whatever A. Cr, Betts muy say. There ave,lbelicve, afew fragments of what was once called the fire brigade, of which A. Gk B. is the embodiment, and there is no doubt but that Mr. Charles Balme could construct a very good and efficient brigade, by breaking up the old fragments and adding some new material, with a little alloy in the fovm of what the Yorkshireman calls brass, in quantities to act as a binder. The vital question is now, who is to find the brass, for, without it, the engines may an well be at the boulder bank, as where they are. I question very much whether the old engine has ever been known to be of much use at any fire there has been yet — either it would not work, or there was not water sufficient, or it came too late. When Armstrong's stable was on fire, the little engine was dragged along by two or three, while scores were running along the road to look at the fire, simply because, I suppose, they did not belong to the fire brigade.

I am, &c, Sttggesteb.