NEW FIRE STATION

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 173, 17 April 1920, Page 9

NEW FIRE STATION

THE CONSTABLE STREET BUILDING

OFFICIALLY DECLARED OPEN ■ An interesting ceremony which marics the growth and progress of Wellington City took place yesterday afternoon, when the-Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) open. Ed tho new Firo Brigade Station at the head of Constable Street. The/stution is a wonderfully substantial three-story brick building, which lies within the Town Bolt, and commands for the purpose of fire protection the whole of the Wellington. South and the thriving i Buburbs east of the Mt. Victoria range. The gathering at the ceremony included Councillor M. TV Lnckie (chairman .of. : the Fire Brigade Committee),' members of the Council, the' Commissioner of Police (Mr. John ODonovan); Mr. T VV. Hislop (ex-Mayor) and representatives of the Underwriters' Association, the fire insurance companies, and the ■, 'Fire Police, . ■' . ! ■

Before viewing; the. :ijiterior 'arrangements,, the Mayor, unveiled a marble tablet, on which were inscribed the date ' of the erection of the buildiue. and the names of the Mayor, councillors, ■ and principal officials of the corporation. Mr. Luke said ■he was sure citizens 'would, see in the ceremony an assuranre that the City Council had not lost, its cense of responsibility in nghtins fi'e. In the early days 'Wellington hed hwl to depend on n volunteer" Are! brigade'. In those days they used to ..have to . pump the water into,t I, e .I'nqos. but t*nt system-had become .obsolete long. ago. The first .-really np-to-date fire station provided in ■Wellington, was tft»'t)res»ht -Central Station,- of which Inspector .Huso -first had.eha""p, whi'e'the present Superintendent fifr. H. Tail) was n junior under him. Thosp who knew the work of the brtoti'le cmitf not V otherwise tfhan ■ satisfied with -th'p w<°dom of the council in splec.tin.cr ITr. Tnif- -f^ r the important ,dntto entrusted to h : n>'.' On behalf of the city Mr'.' Luke wished all success/ and 'prosperity to Supevinl«ndent Tm"t. the men under him, and' the committee. ' Mbplnuscl. Sunerintendent Ta.it. the Mayor" sn.id later, was rot only' resnnnsiMe for the organisation of the brigade, but had sketched ihp outlay of the ,n*w bivlding, wliieh ■was fh» most un-to-dnre station' in "New Zealand. (Apnlnuse.) It nrnvided accommodation fT eight ■ m'amed and 1(1 simile niPii-.. The oropertv' fin bni.ldin"B which t'"< hriea.de was called on in nvofpet in .Wellington was valued at ,£2,R43,000, and in fire years the property on which fires had occurred was yaluH at .£1.203.000. ' The loss had Wn" less than-one per cent., wVc.lv was'fme evidence of thp capacity of the v brigade. (Applause.! Tn previous years mere'had •'■■ pen who thou nth t' that the Wellington brieflde should b° brought under the iurisdio.tion.of the Fire Board, but he had always been against the proposal, a=. had nlsn Mr. T.'W. Hislop. FT* contended that the small Mosses sustained, and the nnoohallcd'effipiencv of the brigadp and : ts mnnnsreriient Justified' the prwnf policy of the council. (Applause.) ■■■>'■ ■'.' ■•■ . ~ ■ ' '

Councillor ,Jl. P. LucVie '(chairman of tne By-laws 'and Pjre Brigade' Committ»e) mto nil credit to- tho 'committee presided over by ex-Councillor Rirb'.r for having done-'' tho ' "snade-wprt" in connect™ with the p=>nHi<=bmerit nf : tlii Tlf.w. station. . It had been' 'necessary to _ secure . the' 'Very" best sit'o possibK . and ('"spite ''' the ' parrot cry of "Finds off the' Town- Belt.", they had decided that ,rh«" part of ■ it lt? s 'll* one nml oT,l . 7: snifaWe'site. 1 Now that the eciuinment of thn'bnVade. consisted of motor engines, it was advantageous to chooso a site where the machines could commence with a dnwri-hiJ' nin—particularly in cold wither—a"d (hat run' could be secured onlv oh'the location. 'Ha mentioned the .a-nod work done-by Mr. ■Berber', in nrnouring'. the assent of the Public Minister', to the'raising of the money for the station.

Sir. T. W. Hislou exfawM his congratulations to, Superintendent Tai't and the council, and incidentally said that if Mr. Tait had designed the room-they were'inhe should be employed to desiVn tuVne-H:' Town 'Hall; as"it'"was the'-e'tisii'st -'hall.lie had ever epoken' in. Referring'to tlie old Fire Board controversy, that, the council had been wise in keepinc control of the brigade. Some governing bodies we're so greedy of power that -thriv were for ever trying to invade the precincts of other local bodies, and he advised thn City Council to guard ,' its powors jealously. ' < , •

'Colonel Mitchell, M.P., said that the. first duty'of a council was the protection' of life and property, and he was 'well ■pleased with the station which had 'Wen 'provided for, the southern, end of- the city, and to note how substantial and up-to-date it was. He hoped that before long the schools would'be"of a similar character, and in particular the two schools that were ,to he built in Newtown in place of tluVold one." '■''''

Superintendent Tnit 'replied thanking all :for their congratulations: and givng some details of the organisation and work of the brigade.