H.—l2.

1931. NEW ZEALAND.

FIRE BRIGADES OF THE DOMINION (REPORT ON THE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1931, BY THE INSPECTOR OF FIRE BRIGADES.

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

The Inspector of Fire Brigades to the Hon. the Minister of Internal Affairs. Office of the Inspector of Fire Brigades (Department of Internal Affairs). Sir,— Herewith I have the honour to lay before you my twenty-third annual report for the year ending 31st March, 1931. My report this year is unavoidably very much curtailed and incomplete, this being due to my retirement from the office of Inspector of Fire Brigades on the 31st idem and to the fact that the last returns from the various fire districts are not received by this Department for some two months or more after that date, making it impossible at this date to finalize any of the tables or to draw any averages or deductions.* Four new fire districts were constituted during the year —viz., Birkenhead, 13th May, 1930 ; Woodville, 30th June, 1930 ; Newmarket, 25th November, 1930 ; and Cambridge, 30th January, 1931. The following is a list of the fifty-five Fire Boards now operating : — Auckland Hastings New Plymouth Tauranga Balclutha Hawera Oamaru Te Aroha Birkenhead Hikurangi Ohakune Te Awamutu Cambridge Hokitika Onehunga Timaru Christchurch Invercargill Opotiki Waihi Dannevirke Kaiapoi Otaki Waipukurau Dargaville Kaitangata Pahiatua Wairoa Dunedin Lawrence Palmerston North Waitara Eltham Levin Petone Wanganui Feilding Masterton Port Chalmers Wellington Foxton Milton Pukekohe Westport Gisborne Mount Roskill Botorua Whangarei Greymouth Napier Taihape Woodville. Hamilton Newmarket Taumarunui Circumstances have not permitted my visiting several of the fire districts, and the following is a list of the districts and the fire brigades inspected and reported upon : — Auckland, December 15 and 16, 1930. Oamaru, February 16, 1931. Balclutha, February 10, 1931. Onehunga, December 15, 1930. Birkenhead, December 12, 1930. New Plymouth, January 21, 1931. Christchurch, February 18, 1931. Otaki, December .3, 1930. Dannevirke, September 23, 1930. Pahiatua, November 19, 1930. Dunedin, February 13 and 14, 1931. Palmerston North, January 29, 1931. Eltham, January 22, 1931. Petone, January 13, 1931. Feilding, January 19, 1931. Port Chalmers, February 14, 1931. Foxton, December 2, 1930. Pukekohe, December 10, 1930. Hamilton, February 26, 1931. Rotorua, December 18 and 19, 1930. Hastings, February 4, 1931. Taihape, October 16, 1930. Hawera, January 20, 1931. Tauranga, February 24, 1931. Invercargill, February 11, 1931. Te Awamutu, February 27, 1931. Kaiapoi, February 19, 1931. Timaru, February 17, 1931. Levin, October 15, 1930, and January 28, Waihi, February 25, 1931. 1931. Waipukurau, November 18, 1930. Masterton, November 20, 1930. Waitara, January 23, 1931. Milton, February 12, 1931. Wanganui, September 8 and 9, 1930. Mount Roskill, December 16, 1930. Woodville, September 24, 1930. Napier, February 3, 1931.

* The statistics attached to this report were prepared after the 31st March, 1931.