FIRE BOARDS’ CONFERENCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8364, 26 February 1913, Page 11

FIRE BOARDS’ CONFERENCE

MANY REMITS DISCUSSED. Press Association, CHRISTCHURCH, February 25. The annual conference of representatives of the Fire Boards of the Dominion was held to-day. The delegates present were: Auckland, Messrs Horace Walker and T. B. Jacks; Dunedin, Mr Lawrence; Oamaru and Maori Hill, Mr T. Chalmer; Hokitika, Mr H. L. Michel; Hawera and New Plymouth, Mr G. Paten; Palmerston North, Mr E. J. Armstrong; Christchurch, Messrs H. Holland and A. L, Parsons, The Mayor (Mr Holland) briefly welcomed the visiting delegates to Christchurch, and spoke of the importance of tho work undertaken by the members of Fire Boards, Mr A. L. Parsons, chairman of the local board, was elected chairman of the conference. A number of remits were then considered. A remit proposing to amend section il in the direction of making it impossible for an insurance manager to continue to occupy a position on a board after he had resigned from his managership of the company he represented produced some discussion. The original motion included representatives of a local authority, but it was felt to be unwise to limit the area of selection in this direction. The remit wao amended to apply only to insurance representatives, and was carried. Tho Auckland board proposed: “To amend section 21 *o that the Government shall be liable to the greater portion of the expenditure.” In the case of smaller boards where mere is very little Government property requiring protection the Government pays one-tenth. In the case of Auckland, where.there is a large value in Government property, the Government pays less than one-fortieth.) The remit was adopted unanimously. It was mentioned that in Australia the proportion paid by the Governments was one-tMrd. Here the. Government paid to eaoh of the large boards only £2OO per year, which was held to be absurd. It was agreed that a suggestion shonld be made to the Government that the Australian system of paying one-third of the levy for expenditure should be adopted here. A remit proposed to amend clause 2 by adding to the interpretation of “Insurance Company:’ so as to include fire insurance placed outside the Dominion. Mr Walker, of Auckland, moved the remit and read clauses from the New South Wales Act which would serve as a model A Christchurch remit on the same subject was “to compel persons or firms that place their insurance with noncontributing companies to pay to the board’s funds in respect of the premium paid by them ih proportion to the amounts paid by the contributing companies.” ■ Auckland delegates desired that steps should be taken to establish Dominion uniformity of wages. Mr Michel said he thought it would be quite impossible to'establish any scale of wages that could apply all over Now Zealand. , Many of the smaller boards were dependent on volunteers and it would be a pity to trench upon that system. In the no Uniformity could be secured .outside the four centres. ' The chairman -said that the conditions in the four centres wore so different that it was extremely difficult to secure uniformity* He agreed that the subject shonld be dropped as 'the difficulties were insuperable. “That the Fire Brigades Act be amended by the substitution of ‘twenty’ .in lien of ‘ten’ at the end of the fourth line of sub-section 4 of section 6 of the Fire Brigades Act Amendment, 1908, so as to increase boards’ borrowing powers to £20,000.” . Mr T. Chalders (Dunedin) moved tne above resolution. His board especially desired increased borrowing powers, because the capital expenditure had already been £IO,OOO. . . Tfxo proposal received unanimous support. Both Auckland and Christchurch delegates- said it was required fof their purposes. Christchurch had already borrowed to the limit, and the board was getting tied up by existing conditions. Borrowing on debentures meant that no overdraft or other assistance could be secured. The remit was adopted. ■ Christchurch Board advanced a remit to define a board’s liability for damage done by or to its plant when the same is proceeding to or from a fira upon an alarm being given. Tho chairman referred to. a recent case and judgment given by Mr Justice Dennbaton, and tho advice given by counsel that leave to appeal should be applied for. The point arose as to whether a superintendent being in command under statutory authority and not then under command of tho board, was not himself ' responsible rather than the board. Another point was that, granting the liability to be the board’s, its extreme liability should bo defined in amount. Mr.T. Chalders said that in Dunedin the fire brigade had absolute command of tho road, and was not governed by by-laws. Tho opinion was expressed that this remit was the most difficult of all those brought up. Mr Chalders suggested that tho remit shonld be amended to read “ to limit the board’s liability for damage done by or through the negligence of its servants to a sum not exceeding £500.” This was agreed to and adopted- It was agreed that the chairman, Mr A. L. Parsons, should lay all the remits before the Minister of Internal Affairs at Wellington next week.