FIRES AND FIRE BRIGADES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15185, 3 July 1911, Page 8

FIRES AND FIRE BRIGADES

DEPUTATION.TO MR BUDDO. (Pie Uhttid Pnxss Association.) WELLINGTON, July 2. Messrs B. C. Bobbins and J. G. Gilberd, representing the United Fire Brigades' Association of New Zealand, waited on the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. Mr Buddo) yesterday to bring under his notice the resolutions passed at the last Fire Brigades' Conference. Mr Robbins detailed the resolutions of the conference. The Firo Brigades Act, he said, was not working too well. The conference would have liked a radical change, making it mandatory to have fire districts throughout New Zealand, the districts to be divided into two sections— city and country'. The question of representation would, of'course, have to be considered, but they thought it should be on practically the same lines as at present. The boundaries of 'fire district* could be made as near as possible coterminous with the electoral boundaries. If the conference could not get such a radical amendment, as this it thought something should be done to enable the establishment of fire boards in towns Of lees than 2000 inhabitants. Again, the conference was opposed to the undemocratic proviso which requires a poll of one-third of the ratepayers before a poll on a proposal to form a fire district could be regarded as valid. The Minister: What majority would you suggest ? Mr Robbins: A bare majority of the votes recorded. He went on to suggest that municipalities .should bo obliged to take a poll on a ; petition being presented. Mr Gilberd said that several efforts had been made in Napier to get a board, but the municipality was afraid to move because of a belief that if might lose its present site, which it wanted for a town hall. As to the country boards, he" said that in Victoria one board managed the whole of the fire boards of the country, and he understood it was the 6ame in New South Wales. Mr Gilberd also urged the necessity of "the department issuing a set of model building regulations. Municipalities could then be requred to frame' their laws in accordance with the Government regulations. The Minister : You mean that the suggested, regulations should override the city, building jiermits ? ,

Mr Gilberd : Yes. We think it would be.in the interests of the' community. The question of .electric wiring, the system of partition walls, and other matters could be dealt with.in the regulations. Mr Robbins said the question of inspectors also required looking into. Many of the acts 'were most conflicting. In regard to' inspection, he was in a building the other day five storeys high, where a lot of girls were working on the top, and the only means of escape were narrow staircases. Although the building was of brick, the interior was of wood. There were many such buildings in New Zealand, and the whole position was most unsatisfactory. Indeed; matters were' in such a. state that he considered a Parliamentary Committee should be set up to investigate the position. In the past when evidence was being taken before Parliamentary Committees only that of local authorities had been considered, not that'of men.engaged in firo fighting. Another suggestion made by. Mr Hobbins was that there should be instruction quarterly in the. public schools in the simple rules to be regarded in case of an outbreak of fire. Then charts might be placed in the schools and the factories. In the course of a conversational Hbcussion the Minister said that the limitation in regard to population so far as firo boards was concerned had been placed in the act because it was felt that the position had reached the point of absurdity. The expenses exceeded the cost of administration.

Replying generally to the representations of the deputation, Mr Buddo said that while he would be favourable to giving an opportunity for amalgamating outlying districts which inight reasonably.be considered suburban, he did not think it would be practicable to have wide rural areas joined as fire board districts. He felt sure that they could only take in what were known as suburban areas. In large areas jurisdiction.. would be very considerably weakened. In reference to the suggested bare majority poll deciding the question of establishing a fire* board, he said he did not think the.proviso would be altered. It would be better to give the act -a further trial before altering it. In this particular respect the act sought tn get a sufficient expression of public opinion. He' would be sorry to think that they could get a poll of one-third of tho ratepayers on a question in which the public was vitally concerned. He would give consideration to the suggestion that it should be made mandatory for a local body to take a poll when a petition was presented asking it bo to do. "As to the suggested regulations," he said, " I want to say frankly that I am distinctly with you in this proposal. It is one which should be considered when . the Town-planning Bill comes up for consideration. There was no doubt that a large number of local authorities had done the right thing in carrying out their building regulations, but it was regrettable that quite a number of local authorities had not done so, and seemed rather to have favoured building on areas under conditions that were not in the interests of public sanitation and health. The time, he thought, had arrived when a Town-planning Bill should be considered. He would be pleased to see that the suggestion for a model set of building regulations was provided for in any Townplanning Bill that might bo introduced. He felt sure that they would be in the best interests of those who were to come after them. He was not aware that there was any neglect of fire inspection. No one could have any sympathy with a building which was being used as a factory, the interior of which was entirely composed of timber and the staircase narrow. There was, however, amplo machinery for dealing with the position. The suggestions about placing charts in schools lie promised to forward to the Minister of Education. They were, ho thought, well worth consideration.

Every homo should keep WOLFE'S SCHNAPPS—the. domestic • safeguard.