The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1878.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 45, 16 March 1878, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1878.

In o.ur. last issue we- referred: to the necessity w.hicll: e-jy'sta- _ior*.soj__e pre\eii ; tiiv.e means: being; a\t hibiid to stay tK^^i^ai of fire, sho,u.!di thi.s town; he- again, unhappily subjected to that dlread visitation,.. Palnierston lias now. arrived; at a« stage: oi maturi.ty, an ; d' its. a* es ted; interests are- of . su.fficieTit importance* to: warrant ifc m asking that the. property of its residents shoaildj not be- left- to. t4ian.ee forsecurH.tj^,ancli that should 1 a danger- arise- tbey fjli.Q.i'ild; bo. m, a. positijon; to. meet it.. Th.c. toAvnsliip is 'rapidly, increasingy in. |).opu.l.ait Lon and value,, so that no w,— long before, it has. entered upon ito teens — it has

won the right to be deemed the premier' town of the Provincial District, always excepting Wanganui. Its population is nearer to two than one thousand, its houses are being multiplied daily, and its revenue is something considerable. That a place possessed of from between six to seven hundred dwellings — many of them of the most substantial character, and representing a considerable money value — should have no extinguishing apparatus m case of fire, is, indeed, a matter for surprise. That it is so, however — it is only just to state — is by no means the fault of the town-folks, for they have not only liberally patronised the various insurance companies, but a number of the residents have given both time and money towards the formation of a Fire Brigade, added to which Mr Warburton has most liberally offered a piece of land m a central position whereon to erect . an engine house. Nor have their efforts stopped here. Mr Pirani, the hon. Secretary to the Brigade has been m communication with the managers of the various insurance companies m Wellington, witlvtheview of getting subscriptions towards a fund for the purchase of an engine aud other requisites, an appeal having been also made to tlie Palmerston Borough Council to the same end. It is to be regretted, however, that up to the present the replies have not been quite satisfactory, and that the matter has not been viewed iv tho liberal or business-like spirit by the companies which might have been expected. This may be accounted for by the fact that the persons m whose hands the power lies to grant donations, have but little idea of the size or importance of the place, and consequently their statement m reply that the business transacted would would not admit of the outlay may, to them, have some show of reason. It may be well to state here that there exists m Wellington a society called the Fire Association, which is composed of representatives from all the companies, who meet and consider questions affecting the interests of their class. This body has considered the subject of granting aid to provincial brigades, and ha.s decided that such a practice should not be recognised, as the giving to one, practically meant contributing to every, brigade wdiich might be established • and that step, it was felt, would be too- serious a tax upon insurance companies. Having arrived at this decision, then, on the one hand, and a want of knowledge on the part of those at head .quarters with regard ta the extent of' the township, on the other, it is not difficult to. see why the application has not been favorably entertained. With referen.ce to the action of the Borough Council m the matter, we have been given to understand that, although, the Town Clerk- wrote, under- instructions, "That the Council resolved not to take action until the insurances offices, had given a decided answer to the application for a grant-in-aid," a. favorable disposition was exhibited to bestow a subsidy, lieverting to the views held, we have been favoured with a perusal of the replies of the different agents, froni which we learn that the Transatlantic-,. New Zealand, South. British, Union,, and Victoria, all assigned the foregoing as the reason for declining ; tho Norwich, while stating that its interest m. the- town was too small to warrant it m subscribing, promised that if at a future time- its business should increase*, a donation might be relied; upon ; while, the Liverpool, London and] Globe referred the question, to ita local agent to. report upon. For the sum of £150 -an engine, hose>. and all necessary gear could; be- obtained, ajid were each of the seven companies to. contribute -£20,. to. be supplemented by a donation of _&25 from the Borough Council", ample- funds would be provided for the undertaking. The Brigade- has, we are inforiji-jd, about £3.0 m its possession, which, with the- _SLS surplus, would; be- sufficient to erect ashed upon the- ground so generously offered. There, are> however, other considerations and conditions to. be carried out, without which the Brigade would be m the position of soldiers without arms. Wanting a supply of water the- engine and hose would- be utterly- ' uselessi ; but fortunately it is: within the- power and province- of the, Council; to. obviate that difficulty,, and by its, byela.ws compel; each, ratepayer- to: keep not onjy a, supply oif' water m his well, for- domestic use*,, but to> meet any demands which might be made upon it m. case- of fire.. The enforcement of such a law would m- the end prove rather a boon aud a benefit than a hardship,, for by keeping, a constant depth of, say, two feet of water m. stock, there- would be- an ample su pply to.nieot any contingency m, the shape of fire, beside providing it pure and wholesome for the table. It may be asked, how is the Council to enforce compliance Av.lt.li. this provision.? or what guarantee, is th*>re that it will be complied with ?• To thi;*** we reply that the duty can be carried out by the Inspector of Nuisances, who m, the execution of tliat offiice has to make periodical visits to. each dwelling, and m- doing so, there, wiild be little extra trouble m seeing- that tho wells were m proper condition. To our mind, one

of tho most important requisites to tho success of tho whole- undertaking has already been obtained m securing the gratuitous j services of between thirty and: forty of the very pick of the district,, officered, as they are, by men of courage and experience. We sincerely trust that it may be a long time before their services havo again to bp called into requisition, but should they unfortunately be needed, we hope to see them so equipped that they will not as heretofore have to wage an unequal battle, so that the result may bo worthy of their will and efforts.