THE FIRE BRIGADE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1552, 14 July 1885, Page 2

THE FIRE BRIGADE.

To zhc Editor.

Sib,—l am quite with “Ratepayer “in all he says about the exoeUeaoe of-our Fire Brigade. Not one of the old Brigade but will allow thatl have said end written about as many 1 complimentary things of the fireman as any man; but when it comes to a question of Setting tbs man up for as to worship as people like onto whom we have nobody else I am not with “Ratepayer." Ai I hive already said, the men deserve all honor at the hands of the townspeople, and I do not think the townspeople will withhold the least jot of honor from them. Bui the man themselves claim to be a “volunteer” Fire Brigade, doing their self-undertaken duty without fee or resfa&L If they had given the request they made to the Council for free library privileges one thought before they made it, they would here seegk that they ward opening up a big questiolK and were preferring a claim the Council if they granted it to the Brigade, could scarcely have refused to others. Now, who are the others, who might have come with equal justice to the Council for free Library privileges 1 Everyman who has served on the Town Council Itself; every man who has served on the School Com* mittee or on any pnblio body in the town has been to some extant a public bene* factor; and then we have two companies,. of citizen soldiers numbering in all 100 men. Will “Ratepayer’* tell me that those men have not as good a claim on the free privileges of the Library as the lire Brigade. Then comes the Western Eire Brigade—volunteer in every sense—have they not a similar eight I No, Sir, the Council in my opinion did quite tile right ■ thing when they resolved to conserve the privileges of the Library (which is stall in its infancy) to subscribers only. ’ The firemen, I am quite sure, on second thoughts will not regret having been refused what they asked for. if they had been granted their request in this matter, there would have been no reason kit why they should not be relieved of Borough rates, or any other tax. And when we come to dealing about substantial benefits like these for membership, why' then wa may as well pay the men for the work they do, and at once relieve them of the honorable distinction of being “volunteer” fireman.—l am, etc. OnsFA.