FIRE BRIGADES' ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8549, 5 October 1907, Page 7

FIRE BRIGADES' ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

A meeting was held in the Borough Council Chambers, last evening, to consider the Fire Brigades' Act Amendment Bill now before Parliament. Those present were :—Mr R. Brown, (who convened the meeting pursuant to a communication he had received from the Colonial Secretary), Mr 0. Pragnell (Government representative on the Fire Board), and Messrs J. H. Pauling, J. C. Ewington and W. Morris (the representaSfes of the Borough Council on the Fire Board). Mr Brown was elected Chairman for the meeting. The various clauses of the original Act and the amending Bill were read and considered seriatim. Various suggestions were made to improve the Bill, and make it practicable. Mr Pragnell said he did not consider that it would be much use in forwarding all the proposed alterations to the Bill that had been sugv gested to Ihe Government in written form, as very littlt notice would be taken of them then. The Statutes Revision Committee of tha House would meet on Tuesday next to consider the Bill, and he had received a communication to the effect that the Committee would be* pleased to • receive deputations from persons who would give practical suggestions in connection with the working of Bill. He suggested that the ■V meeting should authorise Mr Brown to wait on the Committee and bring under theirnotice the alterations and improvements in the Bill Mr Brown had suggested to the meeting that evening. Mr Brown had taken a good deal of trouble in going through the Bill, and he was fully conversant with what was required to make the Bill practicable. In its present form the Bill was totally impracticable. The other members present considered that the Bill was altogether impracticable at present, and agreed with Mr Pragnell that Mr Brown should be asked to wait upon the Statutes Revision Committee. A motion authorising Mr Brown to visit Wellington and wait on the Committee, was unanimously agreed to. Mr Brown accepted the position, stating that he had taken a keen interest in the Fire Brigades' Bill ever since it had been first introduced. Mr Pragnell considered that Mr Brown was deserving of the thanks of the community for the amount of \ trouble he had taken in going through the Bils and picking out its defective points. Others present spoke jn a similar strain, and Mr Brown was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.