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1927. NEW ZEALAND.

FIRE BRIGADES OF THE DOMINION (REPORT ON THE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30th JUNE, 1927, BY INSPECTOR OF FIRE BRIGADES.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Inspector op Fire Brigades to the Hon. the Minister op Internal Affairs. Sir,— Office of the Inspector of Fire Brigades, Wellington, sth October, 1927. Herewith I have the honour to lay before you my nineteenth annual report, for the year ended 30th June, 1927, relative to the working of the Fire Brigades Act, and including matter in connection therewith. During the 1926 session of Parliament the Act was consolidated and amended, and is now cited as the Fire Brigades Act, 1926. One amendment alters the date of expiry of the year to the 31st March in each succeeding year in place of the 30th June as obtained in previous years. During the past year two new fire districts have been constituted—viz., Waipukurau, on the sth July, 1926, and Te Awamutu, on the 23rd November, 1926. Following is a list of the forty-eight Fire Boards now operating : — Auckland Hastings New Plymouth Tauranga Balclutha Hawera Oamaru Te Aroha Christchurch Hokitika Ohakune Te Awamutu Dannevirke Jnvercargill Onehunga Timaru Dargaville Kaiapoi Otaki Waihi Dunedin Kaitangata Pahiatua Waipukurau Eltham Lawrence Palmerston North Wairoa Feilding Levin Petone Wa.itara Foxton Masterton Port Chalmers Wanganui Gisborne Milton Pukekohe Wellington Greymouth Mount Roskill Rotorua Westport Hamilton Napier Taumarunui Whangarei. Additional volunteer Fire Police and Salvage Corps have been formed in Wanganui, New Plymouth, Hamilton, Hokitika, and Foxton, and, according to reports from the respective Superintendents, have rendered valuable service and proved of great assistance to the brigade. These corps are purely voluntary and entirely self-supporting, and are comprised of prominent citizens who are in the position of enabling them to give both their time and money to the work they have undertaken in the interest of their town and fellow-townsmen. The fire districts and brigades working under Fire Board control, their stations and equipment, were officially inspected as follows :— Auckland —May 4. and 6, 1927. New Plymouth —November 24, 1926. Balclutha —January 13, 1927. Oamaru —January 24, 1927. Christchurch —March 21, 1927. Ohakune —February 7, 1927. Dannevirke —June 7, 1927. Onehunga —May 4, 1927. Dargaville —December 14, 1926. Otaki —June 6, 1927. Dunedin —January 17, 1927. Pahiatua—May 25, 1927. Eltham —October 27, 1926. Palmerston North—June 8, 1927. Feilding —April 21, 1927. Petone —June 21, 1927. Foxton —April 12, 1927. Port Chalmers —January 15, 1927. Gisborne —October 13, 1926. Pukekohe—August 16, 1926. Greymouth —March 13, 1927. Rotorua— November 8, 1926. Hamilton —May 11, 1927. Taumarunui —February 8, 1927. Hastings—February 24, 1927. Tauranga—November 10, 1926. Hawera—November 23, 1926. Te Aroha —May 10, 1927. Hokitika —March 18, 1927. Te Awamutu—December 7 and 8, 1926. In vercargill—January 12, 1927. Timaru—March 23, 1927. Kaiapoi —March 22, 1927. Waihi —November 11, 1926. Kaitangata —January 14, 1927. Waipukurau —September 22, 1926. Lawrence —January 19, 1927. Wairoa - October 11, 1926. Levin —April 11, 1927. Waitara— October 28, 1926. Masterton —May 26, 1927. Wanganui —November 25, 1926. Milton —January 18, 1927. Wellington- June 17 and 23, 1927. Mount Roskill —May 5, 1927. Westport —March 16, 1927. Napier —February 25, 1927. Whangarei—December 13, 1926.

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