FIRE CONTROL BY-LAWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22400, 22 April 1936, Page 17

FIRE CONTROL BY-LAWS

LOCAL BODIES' POSITION CONCERN AT PUKEKOHE [from our own correspondent} PUKEKOHE, Tuesday The apparent position under the Municipal Corporations Act whereby municipalities have not the power to make by-laws regarding fire prevention in public buildings and fire boards have not as much power as they would desire in that respect was the subject of a discussion at a meeting of the Pukekohe Fire Board yesterday. In a recent Court case at Pukekohe. where a man was prosecuted by the Borough Council for smoking in a public hall, the information was dismissed by the magistrate on the grounds that the council did not have the power to make such a by-law. At the board meeting to-day the chairman, Mr. J. Routly, said it had been the feeling of the last board meetring that something should be done through the Borough Council. The proper thing was lor the board to its own by-laws, but the statute did not give them power to make by-laws such as they would desire. The board secretary, Mr. S. Bish, who is also the town clerk, said that all the borough by-laws in regard to public buildings were null and void. The committee appointed by the board to look into the matter had communicated with the Inspector of Fire Brigades, Wellington, and he had replied that he favoured an amendment to the law vesting the whole of the control with the municipal body. The committee did not agree with this and then made application to the Minister of Internal Affairs, through the inspector, for by-laws they had drawn up to be approved. It had not yet received a reply. It was decided to communicate with the Inspector of Fire Brigades advising that the board would communicate direct with the Minister.