FIRE BOARDS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 668, 19 November 1909, Page 8

FIRE BOARDS.

NEW'ZEALAND CONFERENCE. V SOME INTEBESTING QUESTIONS. Yesterday morning delegates representing ire'boards throughout New' Zealand assembled in conference at the' office of '. •■•.tie/"WellingtonFire Underwriters' Association. Some interest-, ing Questions relating, to fire prevention and control were discussed, • tho most important being' the afternoon -debate (reported elsewhere), on a emotion ■ on the subject of meas- , nres' for the enforcement of fire-resisting de-. signs;for all • buildings; •: Tho conference was arranged- by the Ch'ristchurch Fire Board, whose chairman, 'Mr.'A/ L. Parsons* was elected to'preside.- 'The .other delegates present ''were-.—Messrs. , H. : S. Batchelor, • ChristChalmers, Dunedinj F. C. Cray, Maori Hill- (Dunedin)j; H.; and. E.. J.' Armstrong, Palmerstori North; J. C. PragrielT and E; Brown,'Mastertbn; J. W. M'Ewan.'Pe-! tone; B. Kent and : D; Gbldie, Auckland; J7 Paton, New' Plymouth; G. J. Mallard (of Wellington), ' representing ■ Hastings)-: Dannevirke,. ahdHofcititaj'E.M. Simpson; and C. A. Ewen (of;, Wellington), representing. 'Feilding. .' ' Fire Boards , ' Association: ■ ■ •' Some .discussion took .place ' on the remit from Palmereton North,. that a Fire' Boards" Association' be, formed. ■'... It was pointed out that'thesnaller .'boards.would be largely; bene-' : fited.; by such.an , association,, ; which, it was: contended, should initiate a. forward policy. It .wasdecideil to. refer',the proposal to the Christchurch Tire' Board,' which was asked to prepare a'draft scheme' for-consideration: later/■ ■ ■■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■■■ .'.i ,; ,;;,:..' Fire■ Areas. .. . ■ ■ Considerable discussion centred: in the. responsibilities of fire boards in connection with, nres occurring outside the'boundaries.of. their; districts. Mr. Haydon (Palmerston North).re-ferre'd-to the fact .that if the superintendent, df the' brigade went- outside • the limits of his district the. boards were held liable.for the' costs of the; service. : He thought that the Minister, should;be asked to define the : position oi'-the. superintendent'in cases of this-nature. It was agreed that Section 31 of .the Kre Brigades Act should be amended by inserting after the-.word "within", the words ,'or;,outside,";.to provide for: services beyond the boundaries.' . At; a'.later 'stage, Mr.', Pragnell ', (Masterton) raised the question.of payment'for,fire services rendered to resident of a district-who'resided outside 'the, area ■controlled .-by; the ■ fire board..-.-.. ■ - Mr.'Kent, latibn:in New,.South-.Wales'.on this particular point.- The.position there was that the resident wasield liable 1 for the services• of.the(brigade. •] Mr. 'Chalmers (Dunedin): thought, that., the., local ■.authority., for ,the; particular -district -,- vis-.-ited-by .the brigade,should,,be held.bable. .• ~ '. •■ The chairman ■'. explained the; procedure adopted' by 'the Christchurch Fire Board. V,The : Christchurch , "Hospital, :Chrisfs College, ;.and, certain;other."builciings outside.theboard's area .paid'an,annualvfeo of one.Kninea as'a;retainer, for tlie services of'thejbrigade. '• : It/wasiultimately/asreed,-on a motion-,by;Mr.. Pragnell, that' the:pnnciple of placing, the ha-; bilify.'upon the/ldcal-authority- be. ; affirmed. •;.

.- '"'■. 7,. : .','. -Loans'to .Boards. ..,-... ; ,, -,'.\,"'." Government loans, to ■ fire boards/, for. the: pur-, chase' of. sites, andj the; erection; of .stations,' were: the subject of" a,remit from .'the Christ-' church.■ Fire Board,- which -urged• an.amendment of -the Fire Boards';Act:<to enable [ such' : grants to be-.made. ■" : . -~ .' ■- '. ■'.-'. r" :'V' The 'conference, .after discussion,'adopted an amendment; '■•asking iKatv the fire' boards be. constituted local'bodies; so /as to . to.'proceed I-, under.: the. JiOans .to Local Bodies .--.■/,' '\-■'. Fire. Brigade; Competitions., y: -{:.'. '. -,:• ■A : "euggesti6nby Mr." Pragnell:that authority. be obtained for' the payment -of the expenses of: firemen' attending•'> competitions -evoked." someargument. ' ' ■■' ■';'-■ ■ - ''- ; ' ' .' ■ *'• ' .':■--' .' Mr. .'E. M;.-Simpson-VBeverely';critici6od.,the action ■the,Masterton-'.Board'in, fpr:bne of'thesei competitions.' He had felt, bostrongly on the- subject that 'he -had-resigned his position as'the -delegate for' Masterton. ,-.< ■•• Mr. , Mallard commented-on' the fact-that,dur-. ing a'disastrous fire at' Newcastle,!. New. Sonth Wales, .the principal.members, of'the brigade were absent attending a competition, and had ' taken a'considerable quantity .of'., the .-'brigade, equipment'with them.-■■■••■-''•■' '-.- .'' '■'!-"■'■ '■'_- . Several,delegates■ supported-the»principle of such-' compeßtions,'- and-- contended that these 'encouraged'." ■~ ', ~'"' ; ."':.. ■ 1 . . ' •'' '"■■ After';.further . discussion,.; the motion'-was ■'withdrawn: .-''■■' r '■■.' ;■" '■'!,'•:''"■•';'•'•'"•'■', •"'.'■:■■ ■' -;■ ' '<[ '.-. OtKer "Mattersi; ■"•- ■«:>'■■ ■'■ On ',. the '.motion .of' Mr.'kentl(Auckland),' a" remit from' Christchufch—that' there -sjaould. be dealing with' fira prevention,'Vith' special''reference to, theatres aud ''other 'places of public resort, 'storage .of , .empty..-crates,-' inflammable gooi, -and'electrical.''installations—was.' adopt-, ed, with ■an added.recQmmendaiion ..that there should be an interchange of by-laws between the \ various boards., . ,', ■■-.-, ■-. -. - . -.' '■ It-was'unanimously agreed; on a remit;frpm Palmerston North, .-that fire-.boards should : 'be exempt from: the provisions. : of,"the : Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. , "." ", ' : ' The Christchurch Fire Board suggested, by remit, that the Government be asked to reduce the-charges for/ installation and maintenance of wires for fire.'alafmsystoms. The.conference, by resolution,'- endorsed the suggestion.- ■ Another . Christchurch: remit—that'.at 'least one telephone,',free..'of, charge, should: be granted to each firo also adopted. It-was pointed out, in'a'remit'from Masterton (moved , by 'Mr.' Brown), that' the financial year of all boards 'should-correspond with, that of local' authorities.: The conference re-solved-that the financial period should, be al,tered from July l-June '30 to .April 1-March 31 in'each year. -.■''"'■:'"■'. ' - ,I .'', • ; ,' : V: ! ,' An important - remit- from Chnstchurch—that funds be established for a .superannuation scheme for, members of ;permanent staffs of brigades—was, on tKe motion.'of ,Mr. - Gbldie (Auckland), held over for the next conference. Itwas pointed out by the' chairman that only three-largo boards maintained permanent stalls, on a large scale. The matter was of some.importance, 'as it >.was desirable. that the service should be made attractive to young men. Fire escapes in public buildings—places of amusement,--churches, -etc.—were another topio of discussion. It was pointed out that-the responsibility for the r provision of. these was, not sufficiently defined, and; that an amendment to Sub-Section 1 of Section 51 of the Firo Brigades 'Act, inserting before the 1 word."occupier" the words " owner", or," was desirable. The conference,resolved accordingly. ..:'■.-..'■ On the motion of Mr. Kent (Auckland) it was resolved:—"That in the■ case: of,properties insured ' with • companies not represented < in New Zealand, tho insured; shall be liable for the payment of .such recoveries as would have been payable by'the insurers had-they been represented in the Dominion."' -It was' pointed'out■there -had- been -instances -of. ; people sending Honie ' for ' insurances on their • properties, ■' a course of'action which was not: fair to the boards or the local authorities, ■ since'.' the in'surance - companies .operating' (arid 'represented) ,in: New Zealand were'held liable for,certain, 'recoveries , in- respect of fires;-'-One-speaker mentioned that the ■ Wesleyan denomination had: a special system of insuring -its church property, and .was not'held liable for're!coyeries; '...-■' , '".'.■ '';"''' ■■! ' ' '■ ; "!' '■''■' After. 6ome. debate .as-to , 'the- necessary diameters 'for water :mains tapped ; for-, fire services, , it was. resblved,• on-, the\motion ■ -of (llaori Hill, ;Dunetfin) ) -that the attention, of the Minister be drawn to.thei'para'graph.in the report.presented to Parliament by; 'Inspector Hugo, who ■ urged that /mains -should -riot ( be less'than. , of- 4-inch diameter. ■ ; /A'motion.that-the. Government-beij:asked to ..increase its rate • of/contribution,'|to-fiie boards was regarded- with some pessimism; Thd existing condition-of 'the 'country's,' finances wasstated to be.'such that no hope ofa '' ; rise" :could bo' anticipated. .-The>motion , was-with-drawn.' "'. , >■. -'■•■■-■ '..'•• :■:-.'■/-•.•.■>■::.y..'.-. .It was resolved that'all matters adopted.-.bf the conference bo referred to thpChristchurcn Fire 'Board for. arrangement in. proper-form for : presentation to ; the Minister- (the> Hon.- D. Bucido) by a deputation 'of Wellington repre- , :60iitatiyes at a'later.date. -, ;-..• ■; ' - . The , / conference,-' terminated 'with • .votes of thanks to'the Wellington'UndeTwriters'LAssociation forits hospitality to visiting delegates, and; to the chairman. , - , ' -■ . ; ; :.■&■■■'.■■