MASTERTON'S FIRE STATION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10135, 4 November 1910, Page 5

MASTERTON'S FIRE STATION.

THE OFFICIAL OPENING. j The official opening of the new j Central Fire Station in Masterton took place on Thursday atternoon. The weather was all that could be desired, tncl the attendance of the pub lie was very satisfactory. l J r'or to the official ceremony, members of the Fire Board, bodios and visitors were entertained at luncheon in Murray's Hall. Ihe Chairman of the Fire Board, Mr O. C. Pragnell, presided, and was supported on his right by his Worship the Mayor, Mr !j. M. Coardire, and on hia left hy ■' Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P. About thirty J guests were present, including Fire ; Inspector T. l. Hugo, Superintendent Lepper, fetone Fire Brigade; Mr C. J. Kent-Johnston, Featherston town Board; Mr J, A. Dudson, Major of Carterton, members of the Fire Board, Borough Council, Trust Lands J Trust, and officers of the File I3riI gade and Fire Police, j THE OPENING CEREMONY. At two o'clock teveral hundred I persons, including a large number of ladies, assembled in front of the new fire station, where the official opening took place. Mr 0. N. C. Piagnell, Chairman of the Fire Board, expressed regret | that owingto pressure of Parliamentl ary duties,the Hon. D. Buddo, Minister of Internal Affairs, was unable ito be present. He also read apologies for absence from Mr W. C. Buchanan, M.P., the Mayor of Palmerston North, members of the Palmj erston Fire Board, and the Superin- ! tendent of the Brigade, members of [•the Feilding, Dannevirke, Carterj ton, Featherston, and Greytown Brigades, who, owing to business eni gagemcnt?, were unable to attend. Mr Simpson, of the Masterton Fire Board, also wrote apologising for absence. THE MAYOR'S ADDRESS. His Worship the Mayor, Mr J. M. Coradine, was the first speaker. He expressed his pleasure at being permitted to take part in the ceremony of opening such a splendid buiding as I their new fire station. The erection of that building was the result of the action of the people themselves. In I 1907 they had taken the control of the Fire Brigade out of the hands of the Borough Council and placed it in the hands of the Fire Board. Whether the Brigade was tired of their old masters or the growth of the town had demanded the change, the people ] themselves could best say. Mr Cora- | dine referred to the debate 3 which had taken place in the Council over the management' of Brigade affairs years ago.sf He pointed out that, while the Council did not now j play the fiddle, they were called upjon to pay the fiddler. Since its in- ' ception, the Fire Board had received over £I6CO from the Borough Council. They, were represented on the Board by three Councillors, who were experienced men and did their duty, i He referred to Councillors Pauling, | Prentice and Ewington. The louiij cil found 45 per cent of the money I required by the Board, the Insurj ance I ompnie«» 45 per cent., and the ! Government the balance. In the building which they were now opening; the Boar.l had something to show for its money. Although the Fire Board had lost some of its powers, it would, he thought, be better managed by experienced men. He | thought he could see the time coming when the volunteer service would be at an end, and they would have enly paid men in their Fire Brigades. Wl ilst ha fully appreciated the services cf the Volunteer®, he was somewhat of a believer in the men j being paid. If they wanted expert knowledge they would have to secure j paid men. Mr Coradine concluded his I remarks by congratulating the Boaid upon the opening of its new building, and expressing the hope that it would be as successful in the future as it had been during the past three years. (Applause). MR HOGG, M.P.

Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P., said he was pleased to be present to congratulate the town upon the posses ■ sion of such an excellent fire station. It was a credit alike to the town, the Board and the architect. He was sorry that, through pressure of business, the Hon. D. Buddo, Minister of Internal Affairs, was unable to be present. He stated that Masterton was gradually getting ahead of things in respect to its municipal edifices. They were not far behind other townships in regard to either their public institutions or their public buildings. Their new Post Office had given them a start. Then came the Town Hall, and after that the brewers had erected a number of buildings which might well be described aa "monumental memorial palaces." (Laughter). They now had their new Fire Brigade Station, which completed the puhlie buildings in the town. (A voice: What's the matter with the Courthouse?) He referred to the excellent condition of the "Jubilee" enginej;and plant and the fine, active uody of men which constituted the Brigade. The more efficient was the Brigade, the less danger from lire. There was now no room in the town for the two or four-legged incendiary rats, which tried to commit suicide by eating phosphorous matches. 'lhere were malicious" per Eons in every town who liked to see firgi. If they wanted security they mus; have efficient Brigades. He believed that there was not a more efficient Brigade in any part of the Dominion than in Masterton. The Volunteers were ever willing and ever ready. They were different from those for whom they had been providing money on the Estimates. They did not promote destruction, but tried to prevent it. He trusted that the Brigade would live up to the traditions of pioneer Brigadesmen such as the Pickerings, Dixons, the Ewmgtons, the Prentices and the Morris's. Mr Hogg then quoted figures to show the losses sustained by fire in the Dominion and in Masterton. He expressed the belief that with their fine new building, and the efficient ! Brigade, the losses from fire in the future would not be as great as in the past. He again congratulated the Fire Board and the town. A FIRE BOARD MEMBER. Mr R. J. White, of Wellington, , who was recently appointed to represent the Fire Insurance Companies

on the Fire Board, was the next speaker. Mr White said that when they saw a building like the Masteron fire station opened, they were apt to look around to see if it was justified. After his short stay in Masterton, he was quite satisfied that the expenditure upon this new building wsa justified. The work of Fire Brigades appealed to those who were engaged m the insurance business. They liked to see the Brigades efficient. He saw no reason why the Masterton Brigade should not be thoroughly reliable. He had already seen evidence of the smartness and alertnes3 of its members. The era of Volunteers was said to be passing by. He hoped it was not. He had had experience of the splendid work of volunteer brigades in Melbourne as well as in New Zealand. He congratulated Masterton upon the possession of so fine a building. It was worthy of the town, and he wished the Brigade every success. (Applause). A VETERAN. Mr C. E. Daniel!, a one-time Captain of the Volunteer Brigade, was called upon to speak on behalf of the Veterans. Mr Daniell, after referring to some remarks made by Mr Hogg, expressed surprise that it had been found necessary to purchase the present site for the new building when they bad sites of their own available. He referred at fome length to the good work done by the Brigade in the early days, and paid'a tribute to the Volunteers, who, he he said, had laid the foundation of their Brigades. He congratulated the Fire Board upon having made such a good job of their new station. He was glad to see the men comfortably housed. The building was fairly lighted, and there were sufficient means of egress. In the early days | they had had to heg for money, and they got a lot of scoldings. They had gone in the opposite extremes now, and were inclined to be extravagant. He congratulated the Brigade upon having such efficient leaders. THE BOARD CHAIRMAN. Mr 0. N. C. Pragnell, Chairman of the Fire Board, thanked the pre- i vious speakers for their attendance, and expressed regret that the Hon. D. Buddo had found it impossible to be present. In the absence of the Minister, he had been asked by the Fire Board to declare the building open. He pointed out thai the Board, although composed of conflicting interests, was a very happy family. The utmost harmony and good feeling existed. The representatives of the Insurance Companies upon the Board were everyone of them gentlemen. Mr PragneJl then referred to the old fire station, which, he said, had become worm-eaten. He thought it a terrible disgrace that their firefighters should be housed in such a building. The trouble which they had had over the new site was settled more quickly than was usual in such cases. Mr Pragnell paid a warm tribute to the veterans. The service had been built up on the volunteer system, and he thought that, until they had a population of between 10,000 and 20,000 they would not be justified in doing away with the volunteer 4 . He then alluded to the first Brigade that was formed in Masterton, under Captain Barker, in 1878, and briefly traced its history under his regime and that of Capt. D. Pickering, and J. Prentice, down to the present time. They now had a total of 43 officers and men m the two corps, namely the Fire Brigade and the Fire Police, under Superintendent Jenkin3 and Captain Dixon respectively. The speaker paid a tribute to the veterans of the Brigade, some of whom were present, and some of whom had passed to the great beyond, mentioning the names of Captains Keester, Muir, Peacock, B. Hounslow, J. H. Pauling, C. E. Daniell, W. Morris and D. Pickering. The cost of the new building and site, continued Mr Pragnell, might be approximately put down at £4030. This might be held to be somewlat excessive, but, in iiis opinion, if a thing was worth doing at all, it was worth doing well, especially in view of the fact that with an inefficient fire service they might easily lose more than £4OOO worth of property from fire. With an efficient fire service they would be able to save it. It might also be said that i there were too many men in the two corps as at present comprised, but it had to be borne in mind that this was a volunteer brigade, and that the men were only paid for attendance on fires. The only additional expense was in uniforms. In one sense the Fire Brigade was a nuisance. If some of their old "rattraps" were to catch fire, it would seem almost a shame to put the fire out. He considered it was high time these old "shanties" were replaced by something better. He pointed out that the fire alarms were about to be installed, and, with the men living on the station,the town wo uld have the greatest security. He did not agree with a previous speaker that ihey had been extravagant. The new site wa3 centi'al, and was in every way suitable. The men were engaged in a noble service, the service of saving lives as well as property. He firmly believed that the ceremony of opening the new station was almost a sacramental act. He * had pleasure in declaring the building open to the fire service, and to the public of Masterton, and in dedicating it to the noble service of the fire-fighters. (Applause). The Mayoress. Mrs Coradine, and Mrs Pragnell, then each cut a cord, the doors were swung open, and the firemen and fire police were inside standing at attention. An exhibition of engine work by the Brigade terminated the proceedings.

SMOKE CONCERT. | In the evening, a smoice concert! was tendered by the Fire Board to the members of Fire Brigade, Fire L J olice, and Fire Brigade veterans' Association. The function was a brilliant success, and the spacious meeting room in the new station was filled with a large and representative gathering. A number of the Fire Brigades in the Lower Valley and other centres'were represented, and among the visitors were Inspector T. Hugo, Inspector of Fire Brigades, and Messrs R. J. White and C. Pearce, Fire Insurance representatives on the Fire Board. The chair was occupied by Mr O. N, C. Pragnell, Chairman of the Fire Board, who apologised for the absence of . Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P., who had

been called to Wellington, and also Captain Greatbead, Eketahuna, and Veteran T. Dixon, Messrs McKay' and H. C. L. Kobinson.

The following toasts were honoured:—"The King," proposed by the Chairman; "Parliament of New Zealand," proposed by MrR. Brown, and responded to by Mr J. M. Coradine; "Masterton Fire Board," proposed by Supt. Jenkins, and responded to by Messrs 0. Pragneil, C. Pearce, and J. Prentice; "Fire Brigade," proposed by Mr J. M. Ooradine, and responded to by L'ep.Supt. Pickering and Bee. Pragneil; "Masterton Fire Police," proposed by Mr J. H. Pauling, and responded to by Captain Dixon and fee. Wilton; "Masterton Borough Council," proposed by Mr 0. Pragneil, and responded to by the Mayor (Mr Coradine) and the Town Clerk and Borough Engineer (Mr W. T. Mansfield) ; "Masterton Trust Lands Trust," proposed A. Pickering and responded to by Messrs E. G. Eton and R. Krahagen; "Architects and Contractors," proposed by Mr E. G. McEwen, and responded to by Messrs H. A. Jones, C. King. A. Haughey; " W. P .B. A." proposed! by Inspector Hugo, and responded to by Supt, Jenkins and Sec. Pragneil; "Veterans," proposed by Mr J. H. Pauling, and responded to by Messrs W, Morris, P. Gilbert, and J. Byrnes; "Ladies," proposed by Mr H. and responded to by Mr R. Krahagen; "The Press,'' proposed by Mr A. Haughey, arid responded to by Mr E. J Brown; "The Chairman," proposed by bupt. Jenkins, and responded to by Mr 0. Pragneil,

During the evening, songa were contributed by Messrs B. Clayson, W. Farker, H. Pauling, E. G. McEwen. D. Walsh, A. Haughey. Recitations were contributed by Messrs E K. Wilson, R. J. White, and W. Morris. The pianoforte accompaniments during the] evening were played by Mr H. Inns. The arrangements for the catering for the evening were in the hands of Mr J P. Kankin, and the manner in which they were carried out were very favourably commented on.