FIRE-ALARM CHARGES
BRIGADES COMPLAIN COMMERCIALISM SPREADS The attitude adopted by the Undersecretary of the Post and Telegraph Department in refusing a rebate on the fees charged for maintaing fire-alarm circuits, was the subject of strong criticism by Superintendent A. Freeman. of the Masterton Fire Brigade, at the association’s conference at Onebunga on Saturday evening. Mr. Freeman said that the Department of Internal Affairs contributed £1,775 annually toward the upkeep of fire alarm systems, but this was more than nullified by the Post and Telegraph Department, which charged £1,846 a year as maintenance fees and in addition took £I,OOO a year from the fire brigades in telephone rentals. The Under-Secretary of the Post Office had refused to reduce these charges, saying that he was out to commercialise the department. Mr. Freeman therefore urged that if the conference again failed to obtain a reasonable rebate, the time would have arrived for them to advocate the payment of fire brigades. Firemen all over the country gave their servioes voluntarily for the public benefit, but the attitude adopted by the Post and l elegraph Department was' catching ana would drive them* into commercialising fire brigades also.
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Bibliographic details
Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 479, 8 October 1928, Page 16
Word Count
192FIRE-ALARM CHARGES Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 479, 8 October 1928, Page 16
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