The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 1884. THE BOROUGH COUNCIL AND THE FIRE BRIGADE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1725, 2 July 1884, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 1884. THE BOROUGH COUNCIL AND THE FIRE BRIGADE.

The interview between the representatives of the Fire Brigade and the Borough Council which took place last evening, will do good in the direction of bringing these twn bodies into harmony, The Council did not see its way to grant the request.of the Brigade, but it indicated a desire generally to assist it, We think it was a mistake for the Brigade to have thrown on the Council the onus of deciding whether a new bell was necessary. This is a question which should have been determined by the Brigade itself, The Brigade has a claim for general assistance from the Council, and tlm is the best ground for it to take. The discussion revealed one grievance, viz., the non-payment of chimney fines to the Brigade. There has apparently been palpable negligence in this matter on the part of the Borough Council, and if prompt reparation is now made for past neglect on this score, the Brigade may be content to accept the refusal of the special grant of thirty pounds, as it will probably be in a position to do without it. We were sorry to see Cr Gapper bringing up the question of suburban residents being called upon to assist town property owners as an objection to voting funds for the Brigade. If the principle of separate interests in the Borough is to be admitted it is expedient that efiect should be given to it by dividing the municipality into wards. If, however, the principle is not admitted, it is unwise to set one section of the Borough against another, and create a feeling of antagonism between town and country ratepayers. The Secretary complained somewhat bitterly last evening of the falling off of public support from the Brigade, We are not quite sure that the facts of the case quite amount to a grievance. In 1881 the public subscribed £3l Is 6d to the Brigade fund, in 1882 £44 6s sd, and in 1883 £43 8s 6d. The returns for the present year have yet to come in, and there is no reason to believe that they will be less than the amount collected last year, The Brigade has received each year £2O from the Borough Council, I and occasionally help from the Insur-1 ance offices. If the funds of the Brigade have never beeD very ample

they have been in a measure sufficient to meet any pressing needs, and they certainly have not in any one year fallen off to any appreciable extent,