FIRE SERVICE COUNCIL FIRST REPORT ON THE OPERATIONS UNDER THE FIRE SERVICES ACT, 1949, FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1950

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1950 Session I, H-12

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1950 NEW ZEALAND

FIRE SERVICE COUNCIL FIRST REPORT ON THE OPERATIONS UNDER THE FIRE SERVICES ACT, 1949, FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1950

Presented to Both Houses of the General Assembly Pursuant to Section 56 (6) of the Fire Services Act, 1949

MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL R. Girling-Butchbr (Chairman) .. Appointed by the Minister. M. Connelly .. .. .. Appointed by the Minister. S. S. Dean .. .. .. Appointed by the Council of Eire and Accident Underwriters' Associations of New Zealand. E. W. Wise .. .. .. Appointed bjr the Municipal Association of New Zealand (Incorporated). E. H. Ferguson .. .. Appointed by the New Zealand Fire Boards' Association. W. C. McDonnell .. .. Appointed by the New Zealand Federated Fire Brigade Employees Industrial Association of Workers. T. J. Watts .. .. .. Appointed by the United Fire Brigades' Association of New Zealand. The Under-Secretary for Internal Affairs attends meetings of the Council in terms of section 6 of the Act.

"Sir, — Wellington, 15th September, 1950. I have the honour to forward you herewith, in terms of section 56 (6) of the Fire Services Act, 1949, the first annual report of the Fire Service Council, together with balance-sheet and statement of accounts for the year ended 31st March, 1950, (covering the first five months' operation and proceedings of the Council). Yours faithfully, E. Girling-Butcher, Chairman. The Hon. the Minister of Internal Affairs.

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REPORT

ADMINISTRATION 1. The Fire Service Council came into existence on the appointment of two members by the Minister on the 7th November, 1949. The other appointments, under section 4 of the Act, were completed on the Bth December, 1949, and the first meeting was held on the 13th-15th December, 1949. 2. The Act requires (section 15) that the staff of the Council shall be employees of the Public Service. At the request of the Council a Secretary, clerical officer, and secretarial typiste have been appointed. Arrangements have also been made for the Accountant of the Department of Internal Affairs to act as Treasurer for the Council and for its recording work to be carried out by the Records Branch of the Department. During its first meeting the Council met members of the Public Service Commission and recommended that a Chief Officer (technical) be appointed as soon as possible. At the date of this report no appointment has been made. 3. The Act constituted new Urban Fire Authorities in thirty-four fire districts and in seventy-nine secondary fire districts. In order to assist the Authorities in these districts the Council issued a series of explanatory memoranda setting out the effect of the Act in each class of district, and of instructions as to procedure in setting up the administrative Committees required under the Act. Formal arrangements were made for the necessary elections and initial meetings of Committees. It was known that considerable capital expenditure would be necessary in many of the newly constituted districts in order to bring the equipment and accommodation of the brigades up to a reasonable standard. The Committees were therefore asked to give consideration to both immediate and long-term requirements so that the necessary provision could be made in the estimates of expenditure for the coming year. A standard form of estimate for the purposes of section 47 and of typical accounts and balance-sheets necessary to conform with section 56 were also prepared and circulated. All statutory requirements were complied with by the 31st March, 1950, so that the Authorities in the new districts could assume responsibility for the local fire service for the financial year 1950-51. 4. The provisions of the Act with respect to contributions by insurance companies are similar to those in force under the Fire Brigades Act, 1926, except that, instead of the premium income returns having reference to each individual district, they are now required to cover the premium income received throughout New Zealand. This will result in a considerable saving in accounting and collection costs both to the insurance companies and to the Fire Boards. It also makes practicable the inclusion in the returns of premiums received in respect of insurance against fire in comprehensive or multiplepurpose policies. The most common of these is that issued in respect of motor-vehicles. The attendance at fires in motor-vehicles, both garaged and in the street, is a not inconsiderable part of brigade duty, and there is therefore good reason why such policies should bear a reasonable proportion of the fire protection costs. 5. The Act does not specify the proportion of the premium to be returned in such cases in respect of the fire risk. Discussions were held with representatives of the Fire Underwriters' Associations, the State Fire Office, and the Motor Union insurance companies with respect to the proportion of premiums returnable under section 52. This could only be roughly estimated in the absence of information as : to" the total amount of premium income returnable and the proportion of this income payable under the Act. It was therefore agreed by the Council, the Underwriters' Associations, and the State Fire Office that an empirical figure of 5 per cent, of motor-vehicle comprehensive policy premiums should be returned for the current year and that the matter would be reviewed next year after the effect of the returns had been studied. The Motor Union insurance companies have, however, denied liability, and the matter has been referred to the Council's solicitor for the necessary action to clarify the legal position.

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TRAINING OF THE FIRE SERVICE 6. Under section 8 of the Act the Council is required to publish reports, information, and advice on fire-service matters ; to establish a training school and courses of training, and generally direct the training of members of the fire service, particularly of officers ; and to provide for the inspection and training of brigades. Early in 1949 the Government set up an advisory Committee consisting of six senior fire-service officers with representatives of the city Fire Boards, the permanent firemen, and the volunteer brigades to bring down a scheme for fire-service training. The Committee had referred to it the report of the Royal Commission on Ballantynes fire in Christchurch in November, 1947, in which there was heavy loss of life. The report of the Committee was considered by the Council at its first meeting. It was decided that the whole question of training and the appointment of the technical officers necessary to enable the Council to carry out this important branch of its functions must be deferred until.the Chief Officer is appointed and has had a reasonable opportunity to make himself familiar with existing conditions and to submit considered proposals for a training scheme. 7. The national and district brigade competitions organized by the United Fire Brigades' Association and its district sub-associations are an important factor in maintaining the efficiency of the volunteer brigades. This is particularly the case with respect to the smaller towns, where the number of fires is not large and the opportunities of gaining experience are limited. The association has in the past been financed mainly by grants from the Fire and Accident Underwriters' Associations and from Government. The Act provides (section 48) for the Council to make a grant not exceeding £3,000 to the association, and this amount has been placed on the Council's estimates for the current year. MEETINGS OF THE COUNCIL 8. Three meetings of the Council were held during the year —13th-15th December, 1949 ; 31st January, 1950 ; and 14th-15th March, 1950. In addition, several meetings were held by sub-committees for the purpose of inspecting conditions in secondary fire districts. Arrangements were made to hold the first meeting in 1950-51 in Auckland and for the Council to visit typical districts in the Auckland area and to meet representatives of the Urban Fire Authorities. SECONDARY FIRE DISTRICTS 9. One of the important duties of the Council as set out in section 8 is to assist generally in the development of the fire service, particularly in the smaller urban areas. It has been necessary to defer most technical matters which are required by the Act to come under review of the Council. In the meantime the Council has devoted much of its attention to the requirements of the secondary fire districts, where the problem is mainly financial and administrative. The standard of fire-protection service which can be given by a fire brigade in any district depends in large measure on the water-supply available. Where, as in many secondary fire districts, there is no reticulated supply, .or one sufficient for dealing with minor fires only, the service which can be given does not justify heavy expenditure. Section 53 of the Act requires the Council to pay half the costs of the service in secondary fire districts, with a limit on the annual contribution of £l5O, except in special cases where a Ministerial direction is given. Most of the towns are small and the local authorities would, in any case, have difficulty in financing a contribution exceeding £l5O. The annual expenditure will normally not exceed £3OO, and the problem is to ensure that the money available is expended to the best advantage. The essentials of the service are an alarm system which will ensure a quick call to the 'brigade when a fire occurs and the provision of equipment which will enable the brigade to use what water is available to the best advantage.

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10. The improved financial provisions under the Act have stimulated the smalltown fire brigades to ask their Authorities for new equipment. It was necessary, therefore, that some indication should be given as to the standards likely to be required for the purposes of section 32. Members of the Council made visits to secondary fire districts to inspect typical conditions and the equipment which experience had shown to be effective, and the following tentative developmental standards were adopted as an objective for the Urban Fire Authorities : (1) That the standard system of fire-brigade alarm be an electric siren or bell operated by remote control from the telephone exchange, and that in cases where the exchange is closed for a portion of the day, approved provision be made for alternative operation of the alarm. (2) That suitable housing be provided for brigade plant and equipment, and, except in special cases, a meeting room for the brigade be also provided. (3) That where a sub-standard water reticulation is installed, a motor appliance be provided, together with the necessary equipment to enable the brigade to take full advantage of all the water available in the reticulation or necessary to deal with fires in property at risk. (4) That where there is no water reticulation the brigade be equipped with either—(a) A water-carrying appliance having its own pump ; or (6) In cases where the supplies of static water are conveniently located, a motor-tender with the necessary plant and equipment to operate from such supplies. 11. Endeavours have also been made to assist these Authorities in other ways : (1) Information has been obtained and circulated as to the cost and source of suitable equipment. (2) It has been recognized that in some cases the present-day prices of new equipment places it beyond the financial capacity of the smaller towns. The Council has undertaken to keep records of the replacement of appliances in the larger centres so that second-hand machines may be made available where most required. It is proposed to obtain and circulate to all Authorities information regarding serviceable equipment of any kind declared surplus to requirements in any district. (3) The Authorities have been advised that capital expenditure should, in most cases, be financed by loan so as to spread the charges over a period of years. Where the amount required is small (not exceeding £500) and the population does not exceed one thousand, the Council has offered to finance purchases on an annual recovery basis under section 49. (4) The fire brigades in these districts must of necessity give their services on an honorary basis. The Council has therefore interpreted as widely as possible the authority to make grants to assist in the establishment of these brigades on a proper footing. The sum of £3,000 has been provided for this purpose in the estimates for 1950-51. It is considered that a reasonable standard of uniform and personal equipment is important in maintaining brigade morale. In most cases the grants have therefore been allocated for this purpose. (5) In the larger towns, where the property at risk is considerable, or where the water-supply conditions approach the standard requirements for a fire district, the Council has recognized that it would be impracticable to provide an adequate service within the £3OO cost limit. In such cases it has made a recommendation to the Minister of Internal Affairs under section 10 that this limit shall not apply. The Minister has directed accordingly, and the Council contributes half the cost of the service up to the amount of the , estimate approved (see * in Tables Va and Yb).

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CONSTITUTION OF NEW DISTRICTS 12. Section 18 (4) of the Act provides that, subject to the certificate of the Council that the appropriate standards have been complied with, and to the provisions of the Local Government Commission Act, 1946 (and certain other provisions in the case of districts within fifteen miles of the Chief Post-office in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin), new districts may be declared by the Governor-General by Order in Council. Section 10 (1) of the Act, which provides for the determining by the Council of standards for this purpose, reads as follows : The Council may from time to time determine standards of fire service organization and reticulated fire-fighting water-supply which shall be the minimum requirement for the formation of a, united urban fire district or an urban fire district; and may also determine lesser standards of fireprotection service, whether or not involving a reticulated water-supply, which shall be the minimum requirement for the formation of a secondary urban fire district. 13. It is therefore necessary in the case of fire districts that before constitution of the district the complete service shall be fanctioning. It will not be possible for the Council to set final standards until the Chief Officer has been appointed and a decision has been made as to the minimum requirements in a fire district both for the purposes of this section and of section 32. In the meantime the Council has followed the procedure when the Act was being prepared, and has adopted for the purposes of section 10 the standard both of brigade organization and reticulated water-supply laid down by the Council of Fire and Accident Underwriters' Associations as the minimum requirements for classification under tariff."' E." 14. Local authorities no longer have power to establish a fire brigade except in the capacity of an Urban Fire Authority. The constitution of a secondary fire district will in future be the first step in the establishment of a local fire service. The standard to be laid down by the Council for this constitution must therefore have regard to proven intention rather than achievement. The Council has accordingly set the following standard for the constitution of a secondary fire district: — (1) That a group of suitable persons is organized and has agreed to function as a volunteer fire brigade under section 42 of the Act and that the Council is satisfied that the requirements of section 41 of the Act can be complied with. (2) That the local authority is prepared to authorize the establishment and maintenance of a volunteer fire brigade under section 42 of the Act. (3) That arrangements have been made for the assembly of brigade members in case of fire and for the utilization by them of any water-supply or first-aid fire-fighting equipment available. 15. During the year applications were made by local authorities as set out below for constitution of new districts. The Council certified in each case that the necessary standards had been complied with, and on the recommendation of the Local Government Commission the districts were duly constituted by Order in Council: —

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Local Authority. Area of District. Type of District. Runanga Borough Council Rawene Town Board Bulls Town Board Murchison County Council Waitemata County Council Amuri County Council Maniototo County Council Runanga Borough Rawene Town District Bulls Town District Township of Murchison Township of Titirangi Township of Culverden Township of Ranfurly Fire district. Secondary fire district.

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AGREEMENTS BETWEEN URBAN FIRE AUTHORITIES AND VOLUNTEER BRIGADES 16. Section 42 of the Act provides a definition of a volunteer brigade as distinct from permanent or part-time staff employed by an Authority in the ordinary relationship of master and servant under section 40. The distinction is that the members of the. brigade are engaged by virtue of an agreement with the brigade as a whole and are not employed under individual contract of service, and that the brigade is registered as a volunteer brigade. Section 41 provides for this registration and requires that the Council shall approve the agreement for service between the brigade and the Urban Fire Authority. The fire service in the country districts depends in the main on the volunteer brigadesmen, and the procedure laid down in these sections is designed to determine the position of the volunteers under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1925. 17. In order to simplify the procedure the Council prepared a model agreement for service adaptable to most volunteer brigade conditions and also a model set of brigade rules. One clause of the agreement incorporated the brigade rules and made provision for any amendment considered desirable to meet the circumstances of a particular case. The model agreement and rules were considered and approved at the annual conference of the United Fire Brigades' Association, and copies have been circulated both to the Authorities and the brigades. ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE 18. It will be evident from the foregoing that during the period strictly covered by this report the Council has been mainly concerned with the, arrangements necessary to bring the Act into operation in the next financial year. This report would be of academic interest only unless some reference is made to the estimates of expenditure and the arrangements for collection of revenue for the year 1950-51. It is therefore proposed to follow the precedent set in the reports of the fire brigades of the Dominion made under the Fire Brigades Act, 1926, and to include in the attached statistical tables particulars of the estimates which were approved during the first quarter of 1950-51. 19. In the attached tables the districts have for convenience been kept in the same sequence as the Schedules to the Act. The total estimated cost of the fire service for the year is £589,583. This is divided between the contributors as set out in the following table. The returns of premium income received from insurance companies and other contributors under section 52 of the Act, together with that from the State Advances Office which makes a voluntary contribution in respect of State housing, totalled £3,383,119. The insurance contribution to the fire service therefore represents 8-33 per cent, of the total premium income received.

Table I — Allocation Between Contributors of Cost of Service for the Year 1950-51

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— Total. Government. "Underwriters. Local Authorities. Fire Boards New fire districts Secondary fire districts Council £ 492,502 37,065 23,216 36,800 £ 49,250 3,706 1,920 29,479 £ 246,251 18,533 9,599 7,321 £ 197,001 14,826 11,697 589,583 84,355 281,704 223,524 Percentage of total cost 14-3 47-8 37-9

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20. Table 111 attached, which covers fire districts existing when the Act was passed, shows that the cost in these districts has increased by £38,182 as compared with the previous financial year. This increase is to a small extent due to general increases in prices, but in the main to the increased costs of the permanent staff. The effect of the first year's operation of the Act will therefore be as follows : Government. —Statutory payments under the Fire Brigades Act, 1926, amounted to £5,060. In addition, Government met the administrative costs and provided special subsidies for protection of certain Government property. These two items involved an expenditure of approximately £16,000. An increased cost to Government of approximately £63,000 is therefore involved in the estimates approved for 1950-51. Underwriters. —The costs to the underwriters in respect of the Fire Board districts calculated in terms of the Fire Brigades Act, 1926, would have amounted to £243,721 on the current estimates (half of £492,502, less Government contribution of £5,060). The total estimates of all districts for the year 1950-51 therefore involved an increased contribution of £37,983, but this not only covers an additional 118 districts, but is also spread over a considerably wider insurance field. Local Authorities. —Local-authority payments in Fire Board districts had the Act not been passed would have been £243,721. The saving to local authorities in these districts, which are set out in Table 111, is £46,720. In the newly constituted districts all costs have hitherto been borne by the local authority, supplemented in the case of some of the smaller districts by voluntary contributions to the local fire brigade. Most of the estimates as approved show a considerable increase in these districts over previous years. Despite this increase, the contributions now made by the underwriters and by Government will result in a substantial saving to the Local Authorities. 21. When the legislation was under consideration by the interested parties in 1947, the costs of the service were estimated at £25,000 in newly constituted fire districts and the same amount in the larger number of secondary fire districts. It will be seen from Table IV that the fire-district costs are higher than was estimated. This is partly due to the increase in general prices since 1947 and partly to the inclusion in a number of estimates of non-recurring items of capital expenditure payable from revenue. So far as the secondary fire districts are concerned, the estimates for which are shown in Tables Va and Vb, the effect of keeping the estimates within the £3OO limit except in the larger towns and making all major capital expenditure from loan has been to keep the expenditure well within the 1947 estimates. 22. The estimates of the Council itself are shown in Table VI. It will be noted that nominal provision only has been made this year for carrying out the duties of the Council with respect to the training and co-ordination of the service. This saving is offset by the inclusion of items of £9,000 under section 49 for capital requirements of secondary fire districts and £3,000 under section 48 for grants to assist in the establishment of brigades in these districts. 23. The Council has interpreted its duty in the approval of estimates under the Act to be to lead rather than to drive and to interfere as little as possible in the policy of the Urban Fire Authorities as disclosed in the estimates. The submisson of estimates and accounts in standard form has enabled the Council to obtain an overall picture of fireservice costs and to make comparisons of the expenditure in districts of similar size both as to total and with respect to individual items. It is clear from this survey that there is a limit to the extent to which service costs can be standardized. In addition to the variation in service conditions arising from factors such as the area and contours of the district, nature of the water-supply, &c, the capital costs will largely depend on whether the brigade has been established at pre-war costs or is to be housed and equipped at the much higher prices ruling to-day.

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24. It will not be possible to relate cost to efficiency until technical officers are appointed and have had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with district conditions. The Council has at this stage limited itself to calling attention to estimated expenditure which appears out of proportion either in any section of the estimates, or in relation to previous expenditure, or to expenditure in other districts. The total amount of the estimates has been approved or determined, and further action has been left to the discretion of the Authority. The Council recognizes that it is still the primary responsibility of the Authority to ensure that the expenditure on the service is kept within reasonable limits. It realizes, also, that the Executive Committees, particularly in fire districts, directly represent the contributors from whom the major part of the revenue is obtained. 25. It was expected that some difficulties would be experienced in connection with the first estimates of the 118 newly constituted Urban Fire Authorities. The request of the Council for special consideration to be given to long-term capital requirements resulted in some cases in the inclusion in the estimates of unreasonably large amounts of capital expenditure from revenue. This is opposed to the evident intention of the Act, particularly in the case of secondary fire districts. Section 47 requires that estimates shall be approved or determined not later than the 28th May in each year. Many of the estimates were received considerably after due date (28th April) and in most cases it was not possible to carry out explanatory correspondence before the end of May. In such cases the Council determined the estimate at the total amount submitted by the Authority, except where capital expenditure could more profitably be arranged by loan under section 58 or financed by the Council under section 49, when an appropriate reduction was made. The Authorities were advised of the position, and subsequent correspondence or discussion has in most cases resulted in agreement on the matters at issue. STATUTOEY APPEOVALS 26. The following statutory approvals were given during the period ended 31st March, 1950 : Appointment of permanent executive officers (section 40) .. .. 7 Out-district fire-protection agreements (section 44) .. .. .. 9 Urban Fire Authority loans (section 58) .. .. .. 4 Withdrawal from Capital Expenditure Fund (section 66) .. .. 1 Disposal of property (section 72) .. .. .. .. 2 DOMINION FIEE WASTE 27. The insured loss— i.e., the amount actually paid out by insurance companies—for 1948, which is the last year for which national figures are available, was £948,660. The annual reports on the fire brigades of the Dominion show that following a low-loss cycle of the twelve years 1933-44, during which insured loss averaged £535,091, a sharp rise occurred in 1945, and the average loss for the four years 1945-48 has been £987,968. This insured loss is, however, not the total loss. To it must be added the uninsured loss in many fires, much of which is not recorded. The practice in the past of estimating the national losses has been to add 12-| per cent., which is a conservative figure, to the insured loss. On this basis the Dominion fire wastage for 1948 can be safelv estimated at £1,067,242. FIEE LOSSES IN FIEE DISTEICTS 28. The annual statistics for losses in fire districts constituted under the Fire Brigades Act, 1926, are shown in Table 111 attached. The total fire-loss figure for the year, £778,883, shows that the high loss cycle for 1945-48 is continuing. The rise in the number of fires involving loss of property in these districts has also continued, the number recorded for the year (2,163) being an increase of 181 over the 1948-49 period, which was the previous record.

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LARGE FIRES 29. Every property fire has the potentialities of major or total loss. The actual losses in any year depend in large measure on the number and severity of the fires which are not controlled. Table II gives details of the fires occurring in fire districts during 1949-50 in which the loss exceeded £5,000.

Table II— Fires with Loss Exceeding £5,000

LOSS OF LIFE IN FIRES 30. During the year fourteen deaths were recorded as resulting from fires, all of which occurred in dwellings.

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Fire District. Day and Date. Time. Occupation of Premises in Which Fire Occurred Cause of Fire. Loss. Auckland Friday, 23/9/49 9.07 p.m. Warehouse and offices Unknown .. 69,000 » Thursday,'29/9/49 .. 7.12 p.m. General warehouse and meeting-room " 61,000 " Monday, 20/2/50 12.45 p.m. Paint-factory Ignition of bituminous fumes by naked light 46,250 Christ chair en Monday, 14/11/49 . . 3.06 a.m. Dwelling Clothes in contact with electric stove 5,060 Saturday, 31/12/49 .. 8.21 p.m. Warehouse and offices Suspected arson 29,132 I )unedin Saturday, 21/5/49 . . 7.00 a.m. Clothing - factory, printingworks, offices Probably failure to switch off electric iron 5,566 invercargill . . Friday, 20/1/50 12.40 p.m. Shops, joinery-factory, halls, and buildings (Nightcaps) Ignited by painter's blow-lamp when burning off old paint Suspected spontaneous 32,000 Monday, 23/1/50 .. 8.23 p.m. Felmongery and by-products 9.000 combustion of pie wool kelson Wednesday, 10/8/49.. 4.25 p.m. H igh school kitchen block .. Overheating fat on electric range 11,200 "Waitara Sunday, 22/1/50 10.30 p.m. Freezing-works Suspected spontaneous combustion in sorted wool 26,000 Wanganui Friday, 1/4/49 8.39 p.m. Woollen-mills Unknown 23,000 " Thursday, 10/11/49 . . 3.39 a.m. Felt-factory Ignition in preparingmachine not properly extinguished by hand 9,000 operated sprinkler " Friday, 21/12/49 5.30 a.m. Public hotel Lighted cigarette butt thrown down 6,650 "Wellington .. Friday, 8/4/49 5.46 a.m. W.A.A.F. hostel Suspected electric iron left on 9,000 „ Saturday, 11/3/50 .. 4.29 a.m. Paint and hardware store . . Unknown . . 86,655 £428,51?

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Table III— Miscellaneous Statistics for Fire Districts

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3 3^H a ■s si i§ S op Fire District. DO H 00 O G5 S3--I O » 33 J3 a g ■as > „ 11 |a 1 a ft a s 3 o U) u > Sa M ° |J Ufa a a o"" 1! a 5° • s " 60 a 111 a 3° si ft it §'3 8 ■an0 u ft 0 1:1 Ills .J3<Jft ,-< ft 8 fe ft i= ft £ £ £ £ £ £ Auckland Metropolitan 261,570 92,898,738 2,237 469 3,920,695 330,610 32,535 363,145 108,095 Balclutha 2,380 840,685 23 6 4,130 613 295 908 745 Cambridge 2,890 1,185,475 10 3 3,500 104 104 1,134 Carterton 2,090 571,196 10 8 15,000 200 200 1,115 Christchurch 128,900 36,985,012 948 289 2,130.972 49,507 M36 56,143 63,500 Dannevirke 4,690 1,902.645 9 2 2,390 1,260 1,260 994 Dargaville 2,600 916,147 14 1 300 300 300 934 Dunedin Metropolitan 85,660 28,577,413 937 206 1,777,079 19,438 iJ648 21,086 50.448 Elthain 1,970 451,170 9 1 850 120 120 542 Feilding .. 5,570 1.523,766 17 4 3,900 3,650 i>J0 5,340 900 Foxton 1,890 626,146 15 4 4,245 674 250 924 414 Gisbome .. 16,850 6,895,779 52 23 20,220 4,081 960 5,041 5,300 Greymouth 9,110 1,977,059 16 8 20,710 1,561 332 1,893 1,720 Hamilton 29,700 11,221,699 238 47 113,856 5,410 819 6,229 11,684 Hastings . . 17,600 5,018,884 76 43 67,842 8,682 50 8,732 4,635 Hawera . . 5,390 1.688,553 48 8 14,300 135 143 278 2,726 Hikurangi 1,070 129,970 15 539 Hokitika .. 3,000 570,684 5 4 3,400 ' ' 593 "593 1,212 Invercargill 26,700 10,689,305 320 92 484,825 8,544 ' '894 9,438 17,735 Kaiapoi 2,050 604,675 12 2 600 70 25 95 772 Kaitangata 1,370 225,340 9 1 15 15 95 110 480 Lawrence 580 64,066 3 1 10 10 260 Levin 4,200 1,609,510 15 5 4.975 ' ' 137 137 620 Lower Hutt 43,300 13,398,247 278 66 171,600 9,585 L083 10,668 11,714 Masterton 10,950 3,054,366 95 20 90,245 648 82 730 5,804 Milton 1,580 522,515 14 2 600 600 350 950 484 Morrinsville 2,510 1,050,460 8 5 1,150 83 100 183 895 Napier Nelson 20,050 9,139,145 177 08 476,305 5,299 441 5.740 8,240 16,550 7,113,669 86 28 67,472 14,735 180 14,915 6,820 New Plymouth 21,500 6,250.509 136 17 30,925 4,746 682 5,428 8,540 North Shore 32,050 10,619,413 127 31 76,262 1,209 468 1,677 12,900 Oamaru 8,330 3.353,725 44 5 44,970 3,080 5 3,085 3,000 Ohakune 1,520 158,940 8 3 3,300 150 400 550 421 Opotiki Otaki 1,800 649,235 10 856 2,360 777,660 7 2 '3,700 ' 155 "l55 400 Pahiatua 1,890 530,665 13 4 18,550 2,082 155 2,237 600 Palmerston North .. 30,500 14,021,177 203 135 213,929 3,916 551 4,467 15,700 Patea United 1,720 423,455 10 6 4,075 353 353 1,100 Petone 11,700 5,585,500 50 11 85,325 3,027 "lOO 3,127 6,071 Port Chalmers 2,740 722,885 19 1 13,500 7 7 654 Fukekohe 3,850 1,207,536 24 3 1,060 35 ' 990 1,025 1,360 Botorua 9,610 3,390,016 104 17 15,955 2,642 450 3,092 4,229 Stratford 4,190 1,572,678 21 8 21,715 1,211 360 1,571 1,535 Taihape Taumarunni 2,360 716,110 17 1 3,900 109 109 938 3,000 1,038,780 7 2 3,700 7 7 1,050 Tauranga Te Aroha 6,810 2,954,408 44 8 38,180 395 395 1,980 2,640 849,067 10 2 1,250 1,050 1,050 846 Te Awamutu 3,500 1,562,315 26 4 15,422 1,047 1,047 747 Timaru 20,900 6,005,075 113 32 97,100 12,279 45 12,324 9,950 tipper Hutt Waihi 7,230 2,542,740 99 34 26,353 1,284 1,093 2,377 2,000 3,880 355,321 50 5 18,970 2,936 3,000 5,936 808 Waipukurau Wairoa 2,340 574,214 10 1 800 39 39 750 3,180 814,520 14 6 3,700 324 "l25 449 660 Waitara 2,770 614,677 4 2 882,990 26,974 26,974 470 Wanganui Wellington Westport Whakatane Whangarei 26.000 9,338,338 223 58 307,355 43,570 3^954 47,524 18,400 138,900 75,231,990 1,517 321 3,189,337 127,174 2,854 130,028 80,000 5,410 1,046,853 17 3 8,650 210 210 1,247 3,320 745,900 29 4 8,650 2,670 i^734 4,404 902 11,200 4,694,214 89 21 54,100 1,734 2,190 3,924 3,167 Woodville 1,190 229,598 5 2 40 40 760 Totals 1,091,160 400,034,833 8,746 2,163 13,000,899 711,069 67,814 778,883 492,502 Protected area outside Are districts— Christchurch 31 31 523,550 6,894 111 7,005

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Table IV — Estimates of Expenditure in Fire Districts (Schedule 3)

Table VA—Estimates of Expenditure in Secondary Fire Districts (Schedule 4, Part I): Boroughs and Town Districts

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Estimated Estimated | Population Expenditure Population Expenditure Name of District. as at 31st March, for Year Ended Name of District. as at 31st March, for Year Ended 1949. 31st March, 1951. 1949. 31st March, 1951. £ £ Akaroa 540 920 Matamata 1,900 1,053 Kawakawa .. 660 387 Bluff 2,190 1,166 Cromwell 770 715 Manurewa 2,350 601 Queenstown 930 541 Paeroa 2,420 1,450 Geraldine 970 632 Rangiora .. 2,560 1,000 Alexandra . . 1,170 830 Papakura .. 2,610 850 Greytown 1,220 611 Eastbourne 2,700 1,226 Waipawa 1,230 482 Waimate .. 2.760 1,980 Kaikohe 1,240 602 Te Kuiti .. 2,990 900 Te Puke 1,260 826 Marton 3,170 1.531 Reefton 1,297 575 Lyttelton .. 3,410 870 Inglewood .. 1,380 643 Huntly 3,680 641 Kaitaia 1,540 1,058 Papatoetoe 4,420 1,266 Richmond .. 1,620 668 Thames 4,490 1,180 Mataura 1,620 691 Gore 5,320 2,525 Havelock North 1,630 825 Blenheim .. 6,650 3,697 Picton 1,730 1,860 1,280 1,084 Ashburton 8,450 1,759 Runanga 37,065

Estimated Population Estimated Population Expenditure Expenditure Name of District. as at 31st March, for Year Ended Name of District. as at 31st March, for Year Ended 1949. 31st March. 1951. 1949. 31st March, 1951. £ 1 £ Naseby 150 241 Taupo 910 300 Arrowtown 200 153 Martinborough 940 300 Havelock 240 170 Riverton 940 323* Tapanui 290 620* Tuakau 970 300 Outram 360 40 Opunake 990 300 Southbridge 390 260 Shannon 990 131 Kaponga 400 296 Featherston 1,030 147 Kumara 410 300 Waiuku 1,040 300 Rawene 440 432* Winton 1,050 393* Ross 460 52 Helensville 1,130 183 Ohura 480 100 Raetihi 1,150 300 Pleasant Point 500 172 Mount Maunganui .. 1,360 352 Hunterville 530 150 Putaruru 1,380 427 Roxburgh 540 243 Otorohanga 1,390 328* Takaka 540 300 Howick 1,620 300 Otautau 640 300 jSTgaruawahia 1,840 402* Bulls 650 300 Henderson 1,870 242 Leeston 650 266 Glen Eden 1,990 350* Manaia 660 300 Taradale 2,020 300 Warkworth .. 660 300 Motueka 2,140 1,000* Eketahuna 700 250 West Harbour 2,140 170 Manunui 760 300 Temuka 2,180 300 Palmerston Waverley 760 820 300 300 13,293 * Ministerial direction given that subsidy in excess of £150 is to be paid.

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Table VB — Estimates of Expenditure in Secondary Fire Districts (Schedule 4, Part II): County Townships

Note.—Population figures not available. * Ministerial direction given that subsidy in excess of £l5O is to be paid. Table VI — Fire Service Council Estimates, 1950-51 £ Debit balance, 31st March, 1950 . . .. .. .. 903 Fees and travelling-expenses, Council and staff .. .. 3,850 Staff salaries and departmental services .. .. .. 3,167 Kent .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 250 Telephone services .. .. .. .. .. 65 Furniture .. .. .. .. .. .. 500 Bank charges and exchange .. .. .. .. 500 Legal expenses .. . . .. .. .. 400 Audit fee .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 Insurance . . . . . . . . .. .. 30 Printing and stationery, office equipment, &c. .. .. 275 Subsidy under section 12 of the Act .. .. .. 10,000 Pavment to Urban Fire Authorities (section 48 (2) (d) ) .. 100 Special grants (section 48 (2) (/)) .. .. ..3,000 , Unauthorized (section 48 (2) (g)) .. .. .. 50 Grant to United Fire Brigades' Association (section 48 (2) (h)) 3,000 Loans under section 49 .. .. .. .. .. 9,000 Repairs to equipment (section 12) .. .. .. 500 Training costs . . .. .. .. .. .. 100 Capital Expenditure Fund .. .. .. .. 100 Contingencies (section 48 (3)) .. .. .. .. 1,000 £36,800

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Estimated Estimated Expenditure Expenditure Name of District. for Year Ended Name of District. for Year Ended 31st March, 31st March, 1951. 1951. £ £ Awanui 220 Point Howard 300 Belmont 225 Rakaia 240 Clyde .. 120 Ranfurly 300 Ooromandel 250 Ruatoria 300 Culverden 300 Southbrook .. 229 Days Bay 300 Stoke :. 300 Denniston 300 Stokes Valley 275 Fairlie . . 300 Takapau 300 Foxton Beach 300 Tawa Flat 586* Glen Massey 100 Tirau 168 Granity 210 Titahi Bay .. 300 Hanmer 300 Titirangi 300 Haumoana 170 Tokaanu 120 Kaikoura 298 Tokoroa 300 Kurow .. 275 Waiau 300 Methven 300 Wainui-o-Mata 270 Murchison Ngongotaha 227 300 9,923 Paekakariki 300 Add Total Table Va. 13,293 Paraparaumu 240 Plimmerton 300 Total, Secondary Fire Districts .. 23,216

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FIRE SERVICE COUNCIL Receipts and Payments Account fob the Peeiod 2nd February to 31st March, 1950 Receipts £ s. d. Payments £ s. d. Balance, 31st March, 1950 . . .. .. . . 859 3 9 Bank charges .. .. .. .. ~ .. 240 Fees to members . . . . . . .. . . 173 5 0 Office expenses .. . . .. .. .. 0 17 5 Printing and stationery .. .. .. .. .. 16185 Salaries . . .. . . . . .. . . 340 0 0 Telephones and toll calls .. .. . . .. 7 2 1 Travelling allowances and expenses .. .. .. 3121711 Capital: Miscellaneous equipment .. .. .. 5 18 11 £859 3 9 £859 3 9 Income and Expenditure Account for the Period 2nd Febbuary to 31st March, 1950 Expenditure £ s. d. Income £ s. d. Advertising .. .. .. .. .. .. 915 Carried to Appropriation Account .. . . .. 879 9 10 Bank charges .. .. .. .. .. .. 276 Fees to members . . .. . . .. 173 5 0 Office expenses .. . . .. .. .. 0 17 5 Printing and stationery . . . . .. .. .. 16 18 5 Salaries .. " ...... .. .. 340 0 0 Telephones and toll calls . . .. .. .. 8 6 7 Travelling allowances and expenses .. .. . . 328 13 6 £879 9 10 £879 9 10

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FIRE SERVICE COUNCIL— continued Appropriation Account Dr - £ s - d. Or. £ s el Balance, income and expenditure, &e. . . . . .. 879 9 10 Balance, 31st March, 1950 .. .. . . .. 903 13 3 Capital expenditure from revenue . . . . .. 24 3 5 £9O3 _13_ 3 £903 13 ~3 Balance-sheet as at 31st March, 1950 Liabilities £ 8 . d. Assets £ s . d Capital: Capital expenditure from revenue . . .. 24 3 5 Furniture and miscellaneous equipment . . .. 24 3 5 Sundry creditors .. .. .. .. 44 9 6 Appropriation, &c. ~ .. .. ~ !.' 903 13 3 Bank overdraft .. . . . . .. ~ 859 3 9 £927 16 8 £92W6~1 H. R. Brown, Secretary. J. R. Deal, Treasurer. The Audit Office, having examined the balance-sheet and accompanying accounts required by law to be audited, hereby certifies them to be correct.— J. P. Rutherford, Controller and Auditor-General.

By Authority: E, E. Owen, Government Printer, Wellington.— 1950. Price Oil.}

Approximate Cost of Paper.— Preparation, not given; printing (716 copies), £44.

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