WELLINGTON EIRE BRIGADE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5108, 7 August 1877, Page 3

WELLINGTON EIRE BRIGADE.

The thirteenth annual meeting of the 'Wellington Fire Brigade was held last evening in the hall of the Te Aro station, Manners-street. The Brigade was fully represented. Superintendent Whiteford occupying the chair. Mr. G. Hunter, M.H.R., and Mr. A. B. Stuart were also present. The minutes of the previous meeting were duly read and confirmed, after which the annual report was read as follows : “Mb. Chaibman and Gentlemen,— Your committee have much pleasure in submitting for your consideration this their thirteenth annual report, and in doing so have to thank the members for their punctual attendance on all occasions that the services of the Brigade have been called upon for the past year. The Casualties during the past year, they arc pleased to report, have not been of a serious nature. The number of alarms have been seventeen, comprising four of chimneys, one of gorse, one false, and eleven premises on fire. “The first occurred on the 26th September, being a chimney on fire in Dixon-strcet, in the house of Mr. Purcell. “ The second occurred on the 25th October, being a chimney on fire in Ghuznee-street, in the house of Mr. Valentine. “ The third occurred on the Bth November, in Dixon-street, to the premises of Mr. Barnes. Your plant was quickly upon the scene, and succeeded in stopping the spread of fire before much damage had been done. “ The fourth occurred on the 2nd December, in Majoribanks-street, to the house of Mr. Parker. Your plant was soon upon the scene, and succeeded in quenching the fire, but not before the house had been nearly destroyed, owing to an insufficient pressure of water, the mains having been (owing to a scarcity of water) turned off in the early part of the evening. As to the origin of this fire, your_ committee have not yet been convinced that it was accidental. “The fifth occurred on the 2nd January— Cause, gorse on fire on Featherston Hill. “The sixth occurred on the 3rd January, being a false alarm. “The seventh occurred on the 19th January, in the workshop of Mr. Owler, Courtenay - place. Your plant was quickly upon the scene, and succeeded in stopping the progress of the fire before the building caught. Cause, rubbish inside the workshop having become ignited. Occurring in the early part of the evening it was noticed before it had time to get a firm hold. “The eighth occurred on the 24th of Jauuarv —Cause, the premises of Miss Harris, Cuba-street, having caught fire. Your plant was soon upon the ground, and succeeded in quenching the flames when part of the roof had been consumed. “ The ninth occurred on the 26th January— Cause, a chimney on fire in Martin-street. “The tenth occurred on the 9th February— Cause, the premises of Mr. Griffiths, Fariahstreet, being on fire. Your plant was soon upon the scene, and succeeded in checking it, but not before a good deal of damage had been “The eleventh occurred on the 16th February—Cause, the ship Himalaya being on fire at the wharf. Your plant was soon upon the scene, and rendered good assistance in keeping the flames confined to the lower hold of the°ship until extinguished. On this occasion it is our painful duty to record the loss of life to one of the crew of the ship, whose body was discovered in the hold after the fire had been got under. „ “The twelfth occurred on the_lßth i'ebniary—Cause, the premises occupied by Mr, Barnard as a skating rink in Old Custom House-street being on fire. Your plant was quickly upon the ground, and succeeded in stopping the spread of what might have been a serious conflagration, but not before the premises in which it originated had been destroyed. “ The thirteenth occurred on the 20tn March —Cause, the premises of Mr. Gunter, Clyde-quay, being on fire. Your plant was soon upon the ground ; but all danger being over, it was not called into use. “ The fourteenth occurred on the Ist April, being a chimney on fire in Taranaki-street. “ The fifteenth occurred on tho 29th April— Cause, a quantity of lime in bags having caught fire in the Australian Mutual Provident Society’s new building, now in course of erection in Hunter-street. Your plant was soon upon the ground, and quenched the burning materials. “The sixteeenth occurred on the Ist May—a house in Murphy-street. Your No. 3 reel was quickly upon the ground, and succeeded

in stopping the spread of fire, although the house in which the fire originated was totally destroyed. “ The seventeenth occurred on tne ~11 o May—the outhouses of Mr. Henderson s residence on the Terrace. Your plant was soon uoon the ground, and rendered good assistance in stopping the fire from igniting the main buildings. , , “ Your committee in their last annual report expressed the hope that your next annual meeting would be held iu your own hall. 1 therefore gives them much pleasure in reporting that their hope has become a reality. Shortly after your last annual meeting they made another application to the City Council to grant a portion of the Market Beserve for a site for the purpose of erecting a fire brigade station. On this occasion they are pleased to report that the Council granted their request, giving your Brigade a lease of 50ft. frontage to Taranaki-plaoe, extending to the Man-ners-street frontage, upon a forty-two years lease, at a peppercorn rent if together with a grant in aid of the building of £l5O. They have since agreed to supplement that sum by £IOO more, making their grant £250, provided the insurance agencies here will also grant £250 in aid of the above object. Your committee made application to the Insurance Board in July, 1878, asking them for a grant in aid of the building. A reply was received stating that they were giving the Fire Brigade matters their consideration, and when a definite decision bad been arrived at, they would write further. In June, 1877, your committee received their further reply to the effect that, seeing the Corporation had taken the control of the Fire Brigades, they could not give any grant to the Brigades themselves. This reply your committee thought an evasion on the part of the Insurance Board from granting assistance to an institution which, since they have been established, have saved the Insurance Companies in this city many thousand pounds. Your committee are also of opinion that should the Insurance Board pay off the outstanding liabilities you would be nothing in their debt. After receiving the above reply, a letter was sent to the Insurance Board asking them to reconsider their decision. A verbal reply has been received to the effect that they have no desire but to render every assistance to the Brigade for the desired object, but such assistance must be rendered through the Municipal Corporation under certain conditions. Those conditions your committee are of opinion are only reasonable and just on the part of the 1 Insurance Board, and such as the Municipal Corporation cannot object to. Your committee, hope that during the present month all the liabilities upon the building outside the Brigade will be paid off. “Your building committee would here report that, according to your instruction, they commenced the building of your new station in December last, upon the principle of the Brigade being their own builders. They entrusted the management to your superintendent, Mr. A. Whiteford, who also prepared the design, and plans of which he presented to your Brigade. Contracts were entered into for the painters’, plumbers’, and gasfitters’ work. The carpenter work was executed by the Brigade paying daily wages. The total cost, as seen by your balance-sheet, is close upon £llOO. The liabilities over the cash assets at the present time are £467. The above committee, in the absence of more substantial recognition, would here ask you to award a vote of thanks to your superintendent for the able manner in which he has carried through the building. Your committee are pleased to report that the Municipal Corporation has since the Ist of April last undertaken the control of the Fire Brigades of this city, a suggestion made by your Brigade to them four years ago, the Insurance Companies paying into the Corporation fund their annual contribution in support of the fire department, the Corporation paying to each Brigade £3OO annually, together with all necessary repairs to plant and working expenses at fires, thus saving the Brigade the unpleasant annual visits to their fellow citizens iu aid of the support of their working expenses, a step your committee considers in the right direction, as under this arrangement the expenses will fall upon the ratepayers generally, instead of a few of our most generous fellow citizens, who have so liberally given the Brigade support heretofore. Your committee would here ask you on entering upon a new stage to tender a cordial vote of thanks to tho°e of our fellow citizens who have so long and faithfully given this Brigade their warmest support under the old regime. “ Your committee have made application to the Municipal Corporation for a night watchman, to be stationed in the bell-tower; and by the newspaper report of their last meeting, they have agreed to your request, so far that a watchman is to be placed somewhere, and the stations connected by wire. What the arrangement will be your committee are_ not yet aware. The simplest and most efficient mode would be to place the watchman in the Manners-street tower, and connect the two stations direct with wire, as your committee have made application to the Minister for Public Works to have the Government offices and your station connected by wire, and they have every reason to believe that the request will be granted. Your committee regret that any personal petty jealousy on the part of one of the Councillors should interrupt an object for the benefit of the city at large. “Your committee would also report that in the month of May last they engaged the services of an engine-keeper, who always resides upon the premises, and who is a paid servant of the Brigade. They also purchased a horse for the conveyance of your plant to fires, which is also always in readiness to start at the first sound of an alarm. Your committee have also set apart one room for the benefit of two or three single members of the Brigade, who in the event of an alarm at night are on the spot ready to start with your plant at a moment’s notice.

“ It is also the intention of your committee to place at an early date the firebell now lying in your station somewhere in Cook Ward, so that in the event of any threatened danger the citizens in that vicinity will have means of speedy communication to head quarters. “ Your committee would here aak you to record your warmest thanks to those of our fellow-citizens who have so liberally responded to your appeal in aid of liquidating the debt upon your station. The amount subscribed up to date is £389 95.; and as there are still a number of promises made (which will be received in due course), you have every reason to feel contented that the sympathy of the public at large is with you in the object that it is your desire to accomplish. Your committee also thank you as members for generously voting them a loan of £2OO from your reserve fund to enable them to carry through the undertaking to the present stage ; they also hope to be in a position soon to repay your loan, with interest. They also desire to thank tho Municipal Corporation for the assistance they have rendered you up to the present time. “Your committee are making every endeavor to form a library iu connection with your Brigade, so that the members will have an opportunity of spending a few hours in an evening in useful instruction, if they feci so iuclined. They have received a number of valuable donations from various gentlemen of this city, which they thankfully acknowledge ; and are still open to receive donations for the above object that any of our fellowcitizens may choose to present. As you are aware, your hall is engaged one night per week at a fair rental. Your committee is open to lot it to any person whom it may suit until the debt upon the station is liquidated ; and any night that the hall is not engaged, it will be placed at the disposal of the members as a reading room. “This evening all your officers retire; but being duly nominated, are eligible for re-elec-tion, as you are already aware. Your late treasurer, Mr. Edward Hutchings, through unforeseen circumstances resigned his office iu April last; it will be your duty to elect a gentleman to the vacant office. “The number of members upon the roll at present is 36; and as tho roll has been closed for the admission of new members for eighteen months, it is the intention of your committee during the ensuing year to ask you to

reopen the roll for a limited number of new members. “Your committee are pleased to report that all your engines and gear are in good working order, and ready at any moment to start at the first sound of an alarm. . “ Your committee, before concluding their report, desire to express their warmest thanks to Messrs. George Hunter and W. H. Meek for their kindness, at personal inconvenience, in auditing your accounts for the present year, ■ « In concluding this report, your commitee desires to express a hope that the members will pull together through the forthcoming year, as they have done through the past, and that Wellington, through the aid of Divine Providence,'will always be as free fromthe dreaded calamity fire as it has been during the past year, always remembering your motto “United to Save and Always Heady.” The report was unanimously adopted. Good attendance stripes were awarded to members Lawrence and E. Tolley. ELECTION OP OFFICERS. Mr. Hunter, by request, took the chair during the election of officers for the ensuing year. _ _ No other name than that of Superintendent Whiteford was proposed for the office of superintendent. Mr. Hunter, recording the re-election of Superintendent Whiteford, congratulated the members on the wisdom of their choice. He was not one of those who altogether believed in annual elections, holding, as be did, that when the services of a good man were obtained they should, if possible, be retained, and he was glad to see in this instance that the Brigade had determined to adopt that course. He then congratulated Superintendent Whiteford on his re-election. The next business was the election of captains. For No. 1 Company Captain Wilson was re-elected unopposed. For No. 2 Company there were two nominations, namely, Captain J. H. Hutchins and Member Bird. The former was re-elected. This was the only contested election. The other offices were filled as follows; — Lieutenants: No. 1 Company, Member T. Tolley; No. 2, Member Crowther. Branchman No. 1 Company, Wood; Assistant-Branchman, Derrick; of No. 2 Company Crowther was elected Branchman, and Hanson AssistantBranchman. Standing Committee: Derrick, Emeny, Hanson, and Nelson ; Treasurer: Member Macanley; Secretary; Member Kennedy; Auditors; Messrs. Hunter and Meek; Auditor, Members’ Euud; Member E. Tolley. Mr. Hunter said he was glad to have that opportunity of congratulating the Brigade on their new station, which did them credit, and seemed exceedingly well adapted for the purposes for which it was designed. He hoped there would not be much occasion for the services of the Brigade ; at the same time it was convenient for them to have a rallying point in such a building, where the gear could be kept in good order, and which they could look upon as their own. It would be the means of keeping them united, and he had no doubt the Brigade would always do their duty, as they had hitherto done when called upon.

This concluded the actual business before the meeting; and a vote of thanks having been accorded to Mr. Hunter for kindly taking the chair during the election of officers, and for the interest he always manifested in the Brigade, and also to Mr, A. P. Stuart for his attendance, the roll was called, and the meeting dispersed.