THE FIRE BRIGADE DINNER.

Evening Star, Issue 3937, 7 October 1875, Page 2

THE FIRE BRIGADE DINNER.

The lasi: annual dinner of the ! 'unedin Volunteer Kiiv Brigade vr.-is held at Watson's Hoc 1 the* ' Virporar.iou having specially invited that body to meet them on that occasion. /"'Very member of the Brigade was pri-sm . The Mas or presided, and had on his right f’apiaiu Wain, and on his left Mr Johnston (captain ot the new Brigade), i'hero were alsi> present Crs. Reeves fin the vice-chair), .wolhson, Brown, Campbell, Gibson, Woodland, Is vac, and Leary ; Messrs A. ■<. Jack and C. llmd,_ representatives of insurance compai.ies ; ond Mr Commissioner Weldon. The dinner ii-eif '.rm aii rimt con d be desired, and th.appueie.ncc? of the tables was xendoied particularly atti active by a libvral supply ol fl iweru. The Ohaiuman proposed the usual loyal and pa'riuio louses, all of which were heartily received. * r. Isaac prjposed “The Superintendent and Provincial Com.oil,’ saying he r-grottedto our local self-government about to be ao ili-hed He thought Otago Was thereby l i.ung what it tvh cm-; day regret, o'r. uki-.ves in. responding icniarked that the- ha loci, lor a “foist of reason and flowoi s ul ■’ ami not to discuss politic*; still he could n >t help touuhing though as gingerly os i o »■ rihlo—on the quesrior of abolition. Unfot Innately the Pjovincial Council of Otago had ■o bow to ( lie stern will of its superior assembly at Wellington—in fact they were completely li-'ored. Pho Cd.'IBMAK next gave the toast of the evening—“ The Dunedin Volunteer Foe Brigade ” He said it was Ms Very incasing duty that evening, m his capacity as Mayor of iho City, associated witii the * ouncillors, to invite tho captain and members of the hire Brigade to that social gathering. The Brigade had acted as true volunteers by refraining from

having their usual spread on The eve o f thaij dfbmdme-iT, but h* w H s ehm that the Govp.* ration ha’l unanimously curried tbs resolution that the Brigade should be the guest* of the Gity. and that they had respond*! to a man There was not one cirizen of Dunedin that would object to their in ’.eting the Brigade there 'h-t i.iKht. limy ha I oilier Volunteers (he trusted he day would be fur distant when they ♦hon'd be call’d into active service)..but. th’ Fir-* Brigade \v©>e volunteers who were con ti dually being evil d on and were always ready to tight with fire—that most destructive, d voming, yet, useful e'emeut. o had been led :,o look up accounts of the appliances used to extinguish fires in the olden times and dis covered that two centuries ago firemen had only a leather hag wi,h a nozzle, through which they squeezed water on to a fire Modern appliances, ami e-pecially those US’ d by the Dunedin Brigade, w< re wry diff.uam -, those old-fashioned atf-i-s He concluded by stating his opinion that if occasion required the members of the old Brigade would after all nut be wanting, but sri 1 he first at a fiie - venthough they had disbanded. The toa>t, wi-h which Capt Wain’s name was coupled, wasdrunk enthusiastically, the band playing the ab of Br>*cken’s “'Tramp of the Tire Brigade.’ Captain Wain said that on this occasion i ; was with feelings of regret tha’ he responded on behalf of the Brigade that ho had had tin honor to command for the last seven years ; fm it would probably he the last time that th y would meet together at an affair of the kind. When th y were associated together, ano worked side hy side at fires, they had litt’r I ea as to whether they would get back to the •ed they had left. Good feeling had existed between the members all through, and hr trusted the new force "would keep as well topnthoi as the old one had. H>* did not hiH idtetosie than packing up their red coat* after hanging together for so many years. H‘. M-ferred 10 ihe chairman’s rema ks about ap , liances, and said the pressure of water here was so goo > that it to .k two men all their tint to hold the branch ; consequently a fire, had little show if the Brigade got at it in anything ike decent time. The, had bad little differ ences with former Gity Councils, but he did not think one of the present councillors would say a word against the old Brigadeit was foily to talk about such smaT matters as a few shillings of expense against such a body of men as they s w tha night. It was not a very easy matter to get e. bind i f men together who would turn out of heii comfortable beds, or leave their emplo .a- ut at any unanticipated moment. Then • was a saying that “once a fireman always a hr- man,” but tneir feelings might be trifle 1 ■'it.i, so that they-would never continue firemen However, the appliances pose s ed by the ('o-.-p-iration were equal to any in the Soutner; Hemisphere, and the captain of the new Bri N ade would find the new hook and ladder truck •specially useful. A great point was to get to a fire as quickly and with as much gear as pos- ■ ible. They had sometimes started with mu men ; in fact, when the Princess Theatre fin occurred, they started from the station with ■ nly th ee men with a hose reel. ll* wa« aslon shed to find the sma'l amount wliich the ! ; rigade had cost to the City for the last threeyears. It was a little over I 1 200, and out ot tins the salaries of the watchman and enidim keeper were paid, as also 1,115 for hone%iid LIOO for un-forms- thus leaving a very sms] sura as_ the actual coM to the city. Tlune were eight or nine members of ihe Briga le that ad been c nnected with it for about seven years, and the present officers, with the exception of the eecietiry, had been continually eb’ l ted since 18C8, He would call the attention of the Insun.n e Companies to the increas of flies in Dun din. The Briga : e bud ten cab in 1872, and the same in 1573 ;in 1871, til teen culls, seven of thoe wrv -. n lous affairs; and in the present year, up to ( .'ciober, twenty-seven calls, and twelve of these serious fins. It would thus be seen that there was an increase and no falling off—busim ss in that Lne was as good ai ever. he average attendance was veiy good -viz,, twenty-two. members bad hern elected during the past year, three had resigned, and one was stmek off the roll. Capt. W-in concluded by again expressing a hope that Captain Johnston would have as little difficulty in keeping th- new Brigade together as h'- 1 had had. in k-eping tho present mm together during the past seven years.—( ,p plauae). Cap ain Wain proposed “ The Mayor and < Corporation of Dunedin.” He sain a Gumciilor’s position was an m thankful one, for he got nothing for it, and was continually being stuck up by people complaining of the mud -r tho footpaths. He had once been a Councillor himself, and who knew whe her. if he had stuck to it, he might not have given his friend the chairman a bard run for the Mayoralty ? (He ir, h-ar.) He might tike some int rest in the Corporation again some day, bat it was too soon yet to talk about it, The Chairman responded to the toast, expressing his regret that the Brigade had had their little tiff and resigned. a s Captain Warn had stated, the sum (i 130) the force actually cost Hie city, after deducting salaries, was very sum 1. J Or. I.EART also leapou-ied on behalf of the I 'onncillm a, lieutenant Hobbs proposed “The New - rigado, coupled wiui tho uamo of Captain Johnston.” Captain Johnston, in returning thanks, trusted that the new Brigade would b ■ as successful as the former one. He had been connected with the old Brigade, and he would not h-ve accepted his present position had he not ealeu ated upon their support and sympathy. he ViCB- 1 HAIRMAN proposed “ The 'rite Itisuiauce Companies’ Association, couple t with the name of Messrs Jack, Reid, and Bvary ” Messrs Reid and .lack both re ponded. , The r-miaining toasts included “ The I'olic.oi ce of < Ha-go ” responded to by Mr Weldon ; “ The Agricultural, Manufac'uring, and Com rnercial Interest.,” by Mr Campbell; “ -In Ladies,” “'lhe Press ” and “ Ihe Ca en-rs.” During the evening some well selected mu ic was supplied by Messrs J Mo-.s {,-iauoforle), Connell (violin), Hogg (flute), Wright (i, iccolo), and W. Oliver (comet).