DIFFICULT POSITION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 June 1938, Page 6

DIFFICULT POSITION

EFFECT OF AWARDS ON FIRE BRIGADES. MORE MEN FOR MASTERTON. The difficult position facing the Masterton Fire Board as the result of the awards governing fire brigades was stressed at the quarterly meeting held last night. Mr W. Kemp considered that the time was opportune to make a definite fight against the position into which the board was being forced. The position was not peculiar to fire brigades. but was general throughout New Zealand. Whether the composition of the Arbitration Court was wrong or was prejudiced in favour of the men, he did not know, .but it certainly looked like it. Mr W. Candy said they had come to a point where everything in connection with fire fighting needed revising. The system on which they had been working was breaking down. The change from the old system to the new had resulted in disorganisation. He considered that it might be much better to run the fire brigades on the same lines as the police force, trained men being sent all over the country from a central depot. Mr V. Edgar: “Who is going to pay for it?” Mr Candy: “We are in such a state of flux that we do not know where we are.” Mr Kemp: “And will not know until after the election.” Mr Candy: “We cannot do anything about it so will have to make the best of a bad job.” It was decided to engage another permanent man and to endeavour to secure twelve more auxiliary firemen.