The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 970, 10 September 1878, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

'•'•■*■ ■-■■•• • -•■ '•■ ■ ■ ~~^ Equai and' eiact justice.tb a^. men, Of -whatever state or persuasion,' religious or political. - : ;! ' ' ' ♦ . »--••* * . ♦ Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, ' J ■ ■ ■-* Unawed by influenco and anbrib'ed by gain. A ' TUESDAY, SEPIEMBER 10, 1878. Municipal Government, if ifc sometimes brings itself under censure for an assumption of civic dignity which it does mot possess, is never theless an advance m local self-government for which a community is all the better. There are many powors extended to Corporations which ! the simple Town Board does not possess, but', apart even from this, the Trustee when he becomes a Councillor — the Chairman when he becomes a Mayor, feels that more is expected of, him, and braces himself up for the performance of higher duties. The result of this is, that many matters which were before left unattended to are taken m hand, and the community is the gainei\ One such matter as this is the formation of what will become the nucleus of a fire brigade for Hamilton at i o distant date. During his recent visit to A ckland, the Mayor waited upon the manager ,of more than one insurance company; and succeeded inarranging with one of them (Mr Pierce, of the New Zealand) for the transmission to the Borough Council of Hamilton of one Of Merry weather's portable fire-pumps m pail, a dozeu

canvas buckets, and a fire-ladder, thiubYjjixfeetin length. Tlio.se Small tafljHPpfffFos, m the absence of a properwater slip ply and more poworful&naß&irtery, have boon proved of . grefSbci? |&. They can be worked m a IffiP> Ol i* voll a p»il, and, with a profffi'rlv iwicil double line of men and pleyJlF °f buckets, a supply of Wivteisfflraybo provided for this ternporarary resorvoir that would, it it. could not extinguish (ho fire m a building on-whioWt4iad .got .a fii'.tp hold, at least save adjacent baildings from being" fired. The lakler, we believe, 'ibis-proposed shall , be placed. r in so s mei.oent^a] open ipsvtion, r whore it caii beseen^y Uli,and made-'avail-aTjle^Qncecbv/ftji^p^rlon^n ca^ ooff f emergency.; the engine and buckets should be placed under cover m o|»ey jbiijlHiAg <a|tached icj the Council dhamoors.* It now' bbhov.es the burgeases rtfHamiltott'tid second the l^i?^ab|e yofforts- ,of thei.y Maymi m obtaining these vary usefulnecesVariiesW the' establish iiierit ; 6f a fire brigade^ — and they i may do this m; nioi'^ ways- than one. A dozen' buclc'ets ' i.Voul'd lid off very /little u'sc,;; whore ithe i^atei^.may have be passed 1 somd distance to the Engine,and eveVy'laVg'e' 'establishment sh6ul<l provide itself : wfctli. a certain number of , canvas buckets,, . wbiclj, whcrovei*. the fir<e[aiight,happea to break.put,would be available ? for, the general, use. The. mere possession^ tdo,!of

an engine an^ : njedessar^ para phernalia $ ) ?£<>s *'suffi.cient to ensure their, efficient iu.se. • We-jshalLnee 1 volunteers, for a small fire brigade, , and 'these 1 'doubtless' • will -be forthcoming when; called upon. ■ * ./. 'I ! In what 1 has been done, we miay congratulate the inhabitants! of Hamilton . -They haye^hadjproy.ided the first ..installment of n an , apparatus which the filling up oi: some of the principal streets with shops and dVellingfs has biased jto became ab- ; solu^ely necessary, the* public' thanks are , flue to the Mayor, w,hp, convaSaed "the assistance of the insurance companies, and to the Njew ■ Zealand Company, which has been ihe first so liberally to respond [ tpj, the application. The example is onej; 5 1}here^tl>o>Iis i^M.^wwbi&a, butlai hgs aro beginning to be crowded together m datigierous ippb'ximijJy if a fife' should break out. * '