MASTERTON FIRE BRIGADE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10684, 2 August 1912, Page 5

MASTERTON FIRE BRIGADE

ANNUAL DINNER. The uuii'iial dinner of the Ma&teirtou 'Fire IVig'adb wals hel'd' in the. l/'liub "Hotel livyt evening. Close upon tjevomy gliosis were p.re.S'Cnit, ineiktd- * *ng vißth:*; Fire E'riigadosmen fro,in ALi l-tiuhcrougP.i., .Cia-itotirtom, ,G'reytown JWkitttbuna and 1 vucatu-a.. Tiu> iocal

/Lodlies in- 'the rap-a were akta represented. Super, in tond- . «*i. «Jcaik>'iis, ot' the Afr.tto'ton 1 Bri#;adae, .p'i<_i&idod, and u. t'ho head of x>iio' table were Messrs J. -"M. Cora-jdii-ne., Mayor <j't Maaxiarton; R. Brown secretary MaOterxcai Fire Hoard; 0. -N, O. ''Pragnell, chairman Mastertoni JL%e Heard; o. I'. i'irentice, member dS lAiiro J3tvnrd; and. Inspector Hugo, :vvoiriai K tx)ji. . SiiperlntL'i'iJent Je.nkins, in wolcomtng those present, said that he lioped everyone wouid for 'the evoning consider t-liLiiiselves as firemen. ' After Ulie excdlebi/ dimmer, provided

hy Host' Crass, wals ilio-n© justice to,

a lengthy twuit .ilist was gone through, and during tyie evening the guests \v.'t-h yhif.sure to saugs and .rendered hy a number of gentlemen present. The gathering, wiluidh -is annually looked forward sto by a.i.l; Fire Bng.<desmeta. in the Warrarapa, upheld 'its reputation, of 3>oiintg one of uiie-most enjoyable functiciate cf 'the year. The 'enthiiKiism jwMqh; wa sdiieplayedi as the various toayts were giveni. tonds to 'show the splendid feeling which. exiiste in the i-anks of fir emeu tiM'oughcaVfc the -Wu ilarapa. ' Mr A.. JK. Johnston;, the capable jsecrdtary of the Brigade, ,w'as coulein .hie effults t>D 'ensure the success <;i : tire fundbicai!, u'li'i 1 he is to

Be <xmgratuß ted upon everything

passing oif wiitJiout a Mich, reflecting • Jvaredit upon' the organising ability of liGtli jMjr JohausSoui and his Committee.

Apologies- were received l£rt>m a fifaimbeir of gentlemen wiho were un■avoiidaMy unable ( to be present. Mr Jl. Brown, in proposing the -toast of the Paiiffiiammt of New Zealand, &a:d that the important work elf Panliamejiitarfaoiis was tihe making the laws of the country, amd lie lUifat the pres'einlb Parliament would do thtis to the general eatisfac4ion of Iblie community. Mr J. M. Coradine, Mayor ,oif. Maastctfton, in -responding, said 1 that it was Srocissary .to 'hiive a great amount of wifidenc'a fin. members of Parliament, •who were rflslponisiblo .for the laws of t!he country. Members of Parliament gonerially ,welre Massed with long tongues' and short. memortaq, while their cocistsitumts we.ro often .tlie reverse, awd this am. Parttamenfey life lekl) .to' many difficulties. He was cpiiite sure that the present parliament was there r to do it® best forXew Zkiliui'tl .and its people. (Applause.) Inspector T. Hugo, i.o proposing 'the health of the United Fire Brigade? •Aftsociatio'iii, 5/1 id tibat simee its fmjeeption the Association 'had done excellent work throughout the Dominion, ibut Ire ifelt' that good work 'remained to be done. He was glad sto see tbiaifc in" futlure competitions, there would (be piractical tejsts which, iwould .be of the greateet value? in tlhe training of ftreim<?ni. Tdio speaker also merl/Kv.ied the fact that iie was don'sidienaibTy l asf.i:sted '.in lilis *woi;k by the excellent manlier in wJiidi the Eire Brigade's relport hfid returned to Wellington. T'hese recordis woiukl be of great vaßub in showing the .number anil extenlt' cf iiree in the Dominion as tirnei went t>n.

Ex-wcretary E. P'ragniiC'll, iu responding ito tine ftoast, heartily endowed the .remnvks oif Inspector Hugo,

./ iiaa.de eulogistic reference to the : r work donei by tlhe lApscciaition -<diuj-ling th© 33 years of its existence, , ; dunihg which time- the ' membership had increased from small diimt'iirfons unitii -now it consisted of 177. Bri- ( gadee and 3000 members. j 3jn. (the heailjtlh of the Mas- | i teuton Fire/ Board, Superiintondent •Jenkins (referred to the maVi'y advantages gained by Fire Brigades tiisico ■conning under .the corftrol of the Fire Board. Ope of the chief benefits d'eirived was in .the abiftty to get into ' touch iwiitlil (the latest fire-fighting mejtliWdjs in the Dominion', which had tenided to greatly improve fire fightt--iiig tli'rougliout tile (country. -AiMr 0. 'N. C. Pragr.teH, in iro*pond- , . m«, said that the Maistei'tcp Five Board-had been charged with extravagance!, but if any good tilling wais 1 wa'irted it all'ways had to be paid for. ! jUnde/r Fire Boards the coet of the upkeep 0:f Fi're (Birigaides was maintained by the whole community, and not by ti feiw, as iwas the case before the 'advenit of Boards. (AippTalusoi.) xr. % The following toasts were also (honored: — "KiiuTred Brigades and Visitors," Foreman T. Bragginls; "Mastertou Trust Lands Trust;" Mr E. F?anagan; "Fire Brigade Veterans," Fireman C. N. Coile; "Matfter>coii Fare Brigade," E. McE'wen; "'The Ladieg," "The P/ress," and ■Cp''The Chairman." Duir'dng the evdirfng songs were rendered .by Messi-s E'nsor, Hmn'n!, ,Vinej Kingston., Groen., Wilson*, and 1?. Glilhert. The gathering t-ermfmivted with the ißangipig of Au"d LaTilg Syne.