THE FIRE BRIGADE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13372, 23 August 1907, Page 4

THE FIRE BRIGADE.

Tlio t\ port appearing in this issue of ;iu interview with 'lhe captain and secretary of Uki Tiniiivu Fire Brigade indicates u way out of the. difficulty which has arisen between the Brigade and the. Borough Council. Wo have thought it only right to secure a statement, of thu men's grievances leading up to the. ultimatum decided upon at « special nutting llih week, becaus.i it would be a veiy serious thing from even- point of view if the Brigade were to cany out its threat of disbanduient and leave the town even temporarily without- any protection agaim t lire. Tlio Council may ho inclined to resent, this attempt to force its hand, and to rely upon the probability that oven if thu present members of the Brigade were to lesign, others would be forthcoming to lilt their places. But of course a Fire Brigade, likti any other trained organisation, is not made in a day, and it .would be a. groat pity to allow nieii who. in numerous competition:?, have given proof of a high degree of training mid efficiency, to 'throw up their honorary duti-.B in'disgust. If tho requests of the Brigade weie unreasonable, or if they wre unduly dictatorial in their dealings with the Council, we. should unhesitatingly condemn their present course, of action, but ; i, perusal of the interview which wu publish this morning will go a long way towards convincing our readers that tho Brigade's requirements are moderate enough, and that they have been fairly patient under the treatment they have received. It seems to us that if the Council invited a conference with the liremen, and stated plainly what they were prepared to do for the Brigade, there would be no difficulty in putting tin end to the friction which liar* been so evident during the la.st few wcek.s. In brief, the grievance of the Brigade is that the Council makes promises which are consistently allowed to go unfulfilled, 'rim public will certainly sympathise with the men in their complaint about the nonprnvision of a horse to haul (heir plant to fires—a, convenience for which they seem to have been waiting for the last nine or ten years. It is not to be wondered at if in this us in other niattei's hope deferred has made the heart sick, and has prompted the men to decide upon a course which tho public would h-; ■ sorry to see ■tinm carry out. and which wo believe they.would by sony themselves to put into effect. We hope that they and the Council will be able to arrange matters without any more talk of divbandnient. An honest conference between tho two bodies should do all that is required.