A GRAVE SCANDAL.

NZ Truth, Issue 276, 8 October 1910, Page 7

A GRAVE SCANDAL.

Nearly a Big Fire. It was more by good luck than fry anything else that Auckland did not have a big fire on Tuesday night; when Potter's crockery store m Queen-street wias ■destroyed and upwjards .of £3000 damage done. When the fire brigade first attacked the outbreak they failed to get a llow from one or the city water plugs, and several critical minutes elapsed before another plug was got jto work efficiently. As the outbreak was m tbo very heart of the city, this incident might easily have resulted m a great conflagration. SuperintendWoolley, the boss dog of Auckland's fire 'brigade, said that the only explanation he could give was that one of the valves a-t the waterworks must have been shut off. Anyway, the 'p'rkiaidje fight shy of the responsibility and want to place blame upon th-3 waterworks officials. They, of course, m turn, plead not guilty, and there what might have proved a grave public 'scandal will have to rest. Tfae brigade are entitled to great kudos, which, by the way, they never fail to yelp for, and the daily papers deal it out to thieotn m. lumps for confining the fire to one dhop m a congested block. The city authorities, however, deserve thts strongest censure for the totally inadequate water supply to fight fires m the city area. Tuesday night's fire brings to light- the fact that Port-Street, one of the principal commercial streets of the city, is only provided with a five-inch main to serve the whole length of the street, while in' Short-land-street the position is even worse —because the fire hydrants are *o yards anart instead of 40 feet. The fire superintendent states he has repeatedly recommended the duplication of water .mains and fire , plugs m the principal city streets to the Fire IWard, and the Board has forwarded the recommendation on to the City Council, but nothing has been done. The whole thing is a glaring exposure of| the City Fathers' procrastinating methods of dealing with matters of great urgency, and affecting the safety of most valuable public and private property m the city.