CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1380, 16 May 1883, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

[tOTHb/eDITOR OP THE DAILY.j

' SiK,—The; want of a water supply for extinguishing purposes.is every day: Becoming more urgent, and the longer-It"is delayed the worse in all probability it will be for the centre of the town, which is now becoming very thickly built upon, with hardly a break inithe buildings except whero they are intersected by, streets, and then it is merely: a gap of. 33 feet. Tako for : instance the. block of buildings extending from Thompson's Horse Repository to the Council Chambers, and a firebreak ing out in the night at the south end of; that block! i The, time/that must necessarily' elapse'before the Eire Brigade with the distance they would have 'to send the water after getting the engines fixed and hose run out ( with the corisequentloss of power in haying to use so much hose,'this with a soutLeftStbree?e,howeverslight,would causfe'a-large portion of the business places to be destroyed. It would bp a hard fight were' theWaterquit) close arid with,better appjianges thijii our Masterton Brigade possess';' but with water handy (and consequently time saved, which is everything at a fire), the Firemen stand a far better chance to avert a calamity. The scheme brought forward , by the Committee appointed by the Borough Council is no doubt the best' that could bo devised ; short of a high pressure supply which. Masterton will bo ; uiiable to afford for at least ton years to come, (the cost not being under ,£2,000,) consequently much lighter pipes could be used, as after that lapse of timo they would not do to use in a high pressure Supply.' No doubt, with low pressure pfpejj f|}e expenditure could be reduceOy oneliajf; the committee's estimate for pipes alone' being' .£7OO. Money judiciously spent in protecting the town from fire would bo well expended, eventually lowering insurance premiums, .-the; Companies preferring, to do a safe business at a lower rato than the'very risky business done jijjfjg Wairarani),: towns, which have v strilcktl)ein' jjjps);Jie'ayily from time to tin)e. ; .*..

In conclusipii, I trust the Council will not aJlo>y the master to drop, as delay njav be/djsastrpu's• ajj'd then whsii a valuajjle' njyrfc p|tjm town has been sacrificed t(n oufcry wjjl Jjemade, and the toyn put jjp an expense it cannot' afford in providing a'big scheme, which With a little forethought now in providing fop prespnj ffjntg, may be obviated fofmany years to oome, ' Yours, ecfc.,