THE FIRE BRIGADES' BILL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8546, 2 October 1907, Page 5

THE FIRE BRIGADES' BILL.

(By Telegraph—Parliamentary Correspondent).

WELLINGTON, October 1

The chief business in the Legislative Council, to-day, was the second reading of the Fire Brigades' Bill, which has for its object the remedying of tha defects in the Act passed last session. The Act was found to be unworkable owing to the absence of financial provisions, and the Bill provides for <he borrowing of money by Boards to enable them to carry out their functions. The fire districts are limited to a population of 5,000 and upwards. Dr. Findlay expected the most contentious clause to be that which fixed the Government contribution at £250 per year each to Christchurch, Dunedin, and Auckland, and an extra £IOO to Wellington, on account of the Government and Parliament Buildings, but he said this was quite a gratuitous contribution. The Bill provides that, with the consent of the Minister, a Board may sell or exchange «my land or other property vested in it and hold the proceeds for fire prevention purposes. Despite hostile press criticism, the AttorneyGeneral considered that the community was sufficiently safeguarded in this matter. The debate was adjourned till tomorrow on the motion of the Hon. S. T. George, who intends to criticise the measure from a fire insurance point of view.

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