Stratford News

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 131, 21 October 1912, Page 3

Stratford News

.from uur Resident Reporter. STRATFORD FIRE BRIGADE. GENERAL meeting.

° f th ° Stmtfor(l omnteei l<ne Brigade was held on Ffi- • v veiling at the fire station. Captain }■ G. (.rubb presided over a good at tendance of members. The eighteenth annum report and | )a i > ce-shcet showed the financial position to bo good. The total receipts for d," jfo'r i U 7° £ ; 2 , 63 , 14s Stl > including £2l 17s ~d brought forward from last year -llit expenditure was £IBO l!)s sd. The 'Km wit, { a ,T Ht " balilnce of £l ° durin ' J l ad hwn °"' y three fire s .timing the past year. The first .two \veie not of a serious nature, but the iid fair hold when the brigade arrived, btill it was soon checked. There had been 36 musters for the year as follows: 10 meetings-, 13 practices, three mes and four false alarms. The membership of the hriga.de at present was; (including two messengers). The committee congratulated members on the good work done, adding that all practices had been well attended. Reference was made in the report to the annual conference of the Fire Brigades' Association. at which the brigade was represented by Foreman Ayilson. The dancing carnival held during the year was not nearly as well supported by the public ' lfc should have been. It was still a ' linancial success, but not sufficient to i enable the brigade to purchase the motoi I fire engine for whieh it was arranged. 1 hanks were tendered to Mme. Bernard for her characteristic generosity in putting on a benefit performance at His Majesty's Picture Theatre in aid of the brigade. The proceeds were devoted to the painting and furnishing of the meeting room, whieh was now a credit to the brigade. Thanks were accorded the ladies who worked so hard in connection with the recent annufil juvenile ball. Ihe report touched on the formation : of the Taranaki Provincial Fire Brigades' Assoeiation, which would lipid its first demonstration at Xew Plymouth in December next. The committee hoped to be in a position to apply for -the next demonstration to be held here. They trusted that the Borough Council would during the coining year, see their way clear to fix the necessary plug in Victoria Park, During the year the brigade ' the pleasure of seeing one of Its members (ex-Captain Kivell) decorated ,with the gold star for 23 years' service, and the brigade was proud to have in its ranks one who had attained the zenith of a fireman's ambition. J.hanks were tendered to the Borough Council for its co-operation, and to the pwss for its willingness always to fur- ! tliei the interests of the brigade. The leport concluded with the hope expressed that by careful management and its members' assistance the brigade would always maintain the strong position and good name it now held.

Officers for the ensiling year were elected as follows: Captain Grubb, Lieutenant Wilson (who succeeds Lieutenant Rowson by one vote); First Foreman W. Rowson; Second Foreman B. Burgess; secretarj-, Fireman Drake; treasurer Fireman R. Boon; auditors. ex-Foreman C. D. Sole and Mr. H. Burmcster; custodian Fireman W. Payton; committee, Firemen Davey, Davics and If. Kivell. In returning thanks for his election for the fifth year in succession, Captain Grubb said he would endeavor to devote as much time as he could to the brigades alTairs. The other officers, as elected, briefly returned thanks, and Lieutenant Rowson, in giving place to Lieutenant AVilson, said he bore no anLmosity in connection with his defeat in the election of lieutenant, and would continue to do his utmost in the interests of the brigade. An honorarium of three guineas was "\oted to the secretary, whoso services were eulogised by several speakers. Mr. Gorton, having in view the strain on the brigade's finances, generously offered to give his sen-ices without' any monetary recognition, but the members woukl not hear of it. . The annual dinner was subsequently held.

ROUND THE ROAD ROLLER Our steam road roller for the Borough Council is being unloaded at the railway station. Its appearance lias revived the street arguments as to its efficiency or otherwise, and the necessity for it. One sage and savage ratepayer was holding forth at great length the other night about it. He didn't like the road roller, that was very clear. lie didn't seem really enamored of borough councils, either past or present. He wasn't at all impressed with the economy practised last year by Mayor Masters and Councillor King, of the Works 'Committee. in order to save money for the purchase of t-he road roller. '"False economy, I call it!" he snorted loudly. '"Bally rot. I call it!" Tic snorted again. Someone in the little knot of excited men folk agreed with him in forcible language. '"Saved £SOO, did they? How did they save it?" The first man is talking again. '"Starved the streets. I know. Look at my road. Road, d'ye call it. It's a disgrace. The stones are too big ami there';; not enough of them. Round gravel, straight from the river. How the deifoe can that stall' for a road? It ought to be cracked. Xapped, mind you, not crushed Crushed

metal! Xot worth a rap." Dissent. "Well, yes, it's better than mud, I suppose. Hut what's the good of a steam roller her\ where there isn't one decent street </> re!]? Broadway, you say. Who's s;h ji;» unyfhiiig about Broadway? It iilight to be asphalted. The money spent on this blooming road roller would have aspliMtcd the main streets. Or it woiiM luve made decent footpaths. You run a. motor, and see how you like the streets." Then the road roller came in for another turn. "Who ever heard of a borough like I his spending all thai; money on a roller? And who's going to keep it employed, anyway. It could go round and roll all our streets before Christmas, and then fake a spell. (Snort). White elephant. (Snort). Extravagance! ( Louder snort). I wish 'em joy of their bargain! (More snorts, and some language). A mild little fellow next him said he didn't know much about road rollers, but he knew a chap who had an uncle whose brother's cousin used to work a road roller, and his friend's uncle's brother's cousin's opinion of them was that they were some of the finest machines ever made. TTe said that when a. road was properly broken up, rounded up and well rolled down it was better than any unrolled road could ever he. He said"lie had had a yarn with Overseer Sullivan about, it. too, and the latter was of opinion that in buying a road roller the Council was doing a splendid thing for the ratepayers, for it would not only improve the roads but would cheapen the cost of making them.

Then the conversation turned on to the Balkan, situation, the, Land Bill, and colonial politics generally. STRAY PARAGRAPHS On Friday night the police were informed of the sudden death of a woman named Mrs. Buckley, of Inglewood, at

the residence of Mr. Joseph Robson, -Pembroke road. The deceased left Mr. Eobson'.s ljoir.se. in the morninsr to visit Mrs. Richardson, on the Victoria road, and on her way home in the evening she was taken ill.' She died bofore medical ni.l arrivo.L At the inquest on .Saturday afternoon Dr. Steven mive evidence that :! . lm;:t mortem revealed tatty degeneration' of the heart. A verdict was returned in accordance with the medical evidence.

At a meeting of the A. & P, executive on l'riday the Buildings Committee was instructed to obtain estimates of the cost of a separate building for cloakroom, etc., for ladies, at the end of the members' stand. It was derided to draw the attention of the Railway Department and the Borough and County Councils to the danger to traffic arising from the high banks on each side of the railway line at the Flint road crossing, and to ask that they be removed before the next show. Thfi Borough Council will be asked to prohibit persons leaving horses or traps on Flint road east on show dars.

Mr. J, B. lline. M.P., returned from Wellington by Saturday night's express. Mr. E. P. Hemingway and the Rev. Bai--1 «y, of. Wahganui, came by the same train.

Saturday 'was a good business dav. It was wanted.

Sergeant-Major Hesp, a popular Territorial, officer, has been transferred to Waitara, and will be succeeded here 'by Sergeant-Major Talbot. Sergeant-Major Dallmger, director of the School of Instruction in Cookery at I'rentham, who is attached to the 11th Taranaki Regiment, came homo on Saturd'ay evening by the express for the week-end, and returns by this express.

j PERSONAL Mr. A. Gorton, who has been secretary of tils Stratford Fire Brigade for the past year, had to decline re-nomina-tion at .tlie annual meeting on Friday night, ovritig to business and preparation for his examination making, such inroads on his time. In making reference to the excellent services rendered by the retiring secretary, ex-Foreman Sole, one of the auditors, said that as auditoj he was conversant with the work which had fallen to and been done by the secretary, who had had an exceptionally busy year. Messrs. W. Lovatt and E. B. Stohi left Stratford on Friday morning on a visit- to Melbourne.