FIRE BRIGADE CONTROL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21757, 23 March 1934, Page 12

FIRE BRIGADE CONTROL

PROPOSED DOMINION BOARD ATTITUDE AT PUKEKOHE [niOM OUK OW>- CORRESPONDK>*t] PUKEKOHE. Thursday That the general provisions of a proposal to reorganise fire brigade control in . the fire districts had been contained in a communication received by the Mayor of Pukekohe, Mr. J. Routly, from the Minister of Internal Affairs, was reported by the town clerk, Mr. S. Bish, at a meeting of the Pukekohe Borough Council last evening. Reference was also made in the communication to a remit to be considered at the Municipal Conference concerning the establishment of a National Fire Council to control the fire service. The proposed reorganisation involved the establishment of a Dominion Fire Board, comprising two members representing cities, two representatives of other municipal districts, four representatives of insurance companies and an independent chairman appointed by the Government. Detailed administration in the principal city areas would be controlled by boards similar to the present ones, but in smaller towns a committee of the council would carry out these duties, payment of accounts and general office work being included in the duties of the town, clerk. The Dominion board would take over all the liabilities and assets of present boards, but liabilities would remain a charge on individual districts. It was suggested that if the Government contribution to fire boards were cojttined on its present basis of £3305 per annum this would be more than sufficient to cover the expenditure of the Dominion board, and any surplus could be reserved for special purposes or distributed between the fire districts. Mr. Routly said he>had been advised by fire underwriters in Auckland that they did not agree with the -financial advantages claimed under the proposal. He had found, further, that the average administration costs of the Pukekohe Fire Board during the seven years of its existence had been 6.6 per cent, as against figures exceeding 20 per cent quoted by the Minister. Further consideration of the proposal seemed to show also the possibility of obtaining most of the advantages claimed without the suggested re-or-ganisation, but with minor amendments to tht present system. Accordingly, at the Mayor's direction; a communication had been addressed to the Minister, stating that, while the proposals were favoured generally ,_ they would be endorsed only on condition that it was conclusively shown that a saving in administration expenses was possible, and suggesting that similar results might be achieved without the constitution of a centralised body, which at the time appeared to be likely to cost some £3300 a year to function. The council approved the Mayor's action.