MORE ABOUT THE FIRE.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 14 May 1910, Page 3

MORE ABOUT THE FIRE.

To the Editor.

Sir,—With your permission I would like to make a few remarks re the recent fire. The blame- for the fiasco in connection with the same seems to me to be spread over several persons—it does'nt all fall on one only. The Mayor and councillors are being blamed in the first place, but they may bo excused on tho grounds that they were paying an engineer for his skill in supervising the works, and also, we presume, for his eommonsenso in regard to the same. Tho latter quality is not very well exhibited in covering up the vital points of tiro brigade attachments with four inches of metal, so as to render them practically useless to the firemen. 'Hie spectacle of a surveyor with a 'tape measuring off to find a fire plug in the first place, and next a prospecting party with picks "trying" the ground while the unfortunate people's property blazed in front of them, was enough to make (as Cariyle says) not merely the angels, but the. very .jackasses weep. With regard to complaints about the fire brigade, we must remember that it is only junlearning the new method of firefighting—viz., the high pressure supply -and therefore have had. their minds centred on the appliances and the method of handling them. They trusted, in this instance, on a stick and it broke. At the same time, T should say that it was the duty of the brigade captain to see that such details as vitally concerned the brigade were in proper order. Also he. should have shown the members of the brigade the various fire plugs in thr\ main street, at any rate. \ suggest that among local competitions one should be held for location of plugs without losing time in looking for signs on tho sidewalk. Now wo come to the general public (including the writer). Wo have been to blame in that we have allowed the brigade to go out in all weather and give their time and energy cheerfully without either pay or praise, and, all for our benefit. We deserve to be burnt in our beds if we don't do a little more for them in blu» future. The last brigade bazaar was neglected in favour of a travelling company, who were performing the same evening, and yet if anyone had been burnt out that night and the brigade had neglected them they would have been the first to cry out. There seems to be too much 'of the "take nil and give nothing" spirit with regard to the brigade, who are often risking their lives in the service of the public. Mr TT. C. Jones wishes me to state that he is not "Civis," as wph imagined by some who read that- letter in. yesterday's "Chronicle." As he was not at tho fire he could not criticise the wimo if he had wished to do so. Thanking von in anticipation.— T am. etc., ONE OF .HE PUBLTC. ]\S.—Just now should bo a good time to canvass for brigade funds.