FIRE BRIGADES OF THE DOMINION. (REPORT ON THE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1933, BY THE INSPECTOR OF FIRE BRIGADES.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1933 Session I, H-12

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1933. NEW ZEALAND.

FIRE BRIGADES OF THE DOMINION. (REPORT ON THE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1933, BY THE INSPECTOR OF FIRE BRIGADES.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Inspector op Fire Brigades to the Hon. the Minister of Internal Affairs. Office of Inspector of Fire Brigades, Sir, — Wellington, 25th October, 1933. I have the honour to submit the twenty-fifth annual report for the year ending 31st March, 1933, on the working of the Fire Brigades Act, 1926. Fire Districts. Three new fire districts —Mosgiel, Mount Eden, and Mount Albert—were constituted during the year. The two latter, together with the Auckland, Newmarket, Mount Roskill, and Onehunga Fire Districts, and the municipal districts of Mount Wellington, Ellerslie, and One Tree Hill were subsequently amalgamated under the Metropolitan Fire Board constituted by the Fire Brigades Amendment Act of last session. The number of fire districts existing at the end of the year was, therefore, fifty-three. Legislation. The Fire Brigades Amendment Act was passed during the year. The principal purpose of the Act was to constitute the Auckland Metropolitan Fire District referred to above, and to simplify the formation of similar united fire districts in other metropolitan areas ; but the opportunity was taken of making certain alterations to the principal Act, mainly of a machinery nature, which experience had shown to be desirable. Amongst other things, the date of annual elections and meetings was altered, and the provisions with respect to the submission of estimates were redrafted. Under the amended legislation it is proposed to make arrangements for all Fire Board accounts, estimates, and the returns submitted to the Government Statistician, to be kept in the same form. Fire Protection in New Zealand. As the year under review marks the completion of twenty-five years operation of the Fire Brigades Act, a brief survey of the fire protection conditions existing in New Zealand both in fire districts and in areas having fire brigades controlled by municipalities will not be out of place. Tables have therefore been added to this report, showing areas protected by Fire Boards or declared fire districts during the present year (Table II), particulars of personnel and equipment for Fire Board (Table III) and municipal brigades (Table IV), and also a table showing the average figures for ten years for all fire districts which have been in operation for this period (Table V). It has not been found possible to obtain accurate figures regarding the value of property at risk, but details of population and rateable capital value have been included so as to give some indication of the relative values involved in the different districts. It will be seen from these figures that 920,170 persons are resident in areas which have some measure of fire protection. This represents 60-2 per cent, of the total population of New Zealand, of whom 50-8 per cent, are resident in areas protected by Fire Boards and 9-4 per cent, in districts protected by municipal brigades. An estimate of the insurable property situated in protected areas, based on the insurance companies' returns, shows that at least 75 per cent, of the total insurable property in New Zealand is under fire protection, 63 per cent, by Fire Boards, and 12 per cent, by municipal brigades. The efficiency of a fire protection organization is dependent on several factors : (1) The provision made for conveying the alarm of fire quickly to the brigade ; (2) the organization for bringing the brigade into operation; (3) the water-supply; (4) the brigade plant and equipment; and (5) the training of the personnel.

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(1) Alarm System. A consideration of the particulars given in Table 111 shows that twenty-eight of the fire districts, including all the cities and the larger towns, have established a fire-alarm system with street boxes. In most of the smaller towns arrangements have either been made for constant attendance on the fire-station telephone, or an electrically operated alarm bell or syren has been installed, with a distant-control switch situated in the telephone exchange. Immediately a fire call is given to the exchange attendant this switch is operated and the bell or syren sounded. It is, of course, only possible to operate this system where a twenty-four-hour telephone service is available. It is not expensive to install and is reasonably effective, since every telephone in the area becomes an alarm-point. It will be seen from Table IV that only eight of the municipal brigades have a street-alarm system. A number of the Councils have installed a syren alarm, but a considerable proportion of the brigades are still dependent on the manual operation of the fire-bell. (2) Brigade Turnout. All the cities have a staff of permanent firemen ready for service at all times, and, in addition, a reserve of auxiliary firemen available for night duty or for large daytime fires. Most of the larger towns have a nucleus of permanent firemen, and in all but three of the fire districts, and in thirty-nine out of the seventy-three municipal brigades, there are a number of volunteer firemen resident on the station at night. These resident firemen are an important factor in the efficiency of the organization, since, owing to the fact that fewer people are about, the alarms received at night are usually given at a later stage of the fire than in the case of daytime calls, and the fires are consequently more difficult to deal with. The presence of the firemen on the station ensures a minimum of delay in reaching the scene of the fire after the call is received. Many of the larger secondary towns have established a system under which at least one fire-engine crew is available on the station at all times between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. The " turnout " of many of the country brigades has improved greatly in recent years, and the conditions now existing are very satisfactory. At a recent surprise test alarm in one of these towns where six men were sleeping on the station the fire-engine was out of the building in 1 minute 2 seconds, and the crew had water on at the scene of the alarm, nearly half a mile distant, in 2 minutes 12 seconds. The " turnout " of the city and larger town brigades is usually well under the minute. (3) Water-supply. Most of the New Zealand towns have installed a high-pressure water-supply. Provision has been made for fire-fighting by the installation of ball hydrants at reasonably close intervals, and the mains in the business area are usually of adequate size, having regard to the nature of the supply. In a number of cases, however, the fire service is handicapped, firstly, owing to the mains in the residential areas being too small (3 in.), and, secondly, by the fact that the supply is carried from the intake or reservoir through long lengths of 6 in. to 9 in. mains. Under the conditions of heavy draw-off required for fire-fighting the greater velocity of the water causes the pressure to drop rapidly, and the nozzle pressures obtainable if more than one or two fire streams are used, are too low for dealing effectively with serious fires. Experience has also shown that in most reticulations even of the better type there are areas in the outlying districts, or in the hilly portions of the town, where the supply is insufficient to give satisfactory fire streams. It is therefore desirable that in probably 90 per cent, of the towns the brigade should be equipped with a fire pump on the engine. This provision enables the firemen to utilize the full volume of water available at any point and to discharge it on the fire at high nozzle pressure. Apart from this use, the pump is also of very considerable value where long lengths of hose have to be used and for increasing the pressure where large streams of water are required for dealing with serious fires in the business area. Until recently the minimum cost of a fire-engine equipped with pump was about £1,200, but machines are now available fitted with a pump suitable for boosting purposes from £600 upwards, depending on the type of body required —a price which is within the financial compass of most of even the smaller towns. It is hoped that as the present motor-tenders require replacement this type of combination unit will be installed. (4) Equipment. It will be noted that all except one of the Fire Board brigades are provided with motor fireengines, and that twenty-seven of them are at present equipped with fire-pumps. The supply of fire-hose is in practically all cases sufficient not only for the equipment of the fire-engine, but for a reserve to replace hose being cleaned and dried after use at fires or in practice. Of the municipal brigades, sixteen are equipped with hand-drawn hose-reels only, ten have motor-pumps, and the remainder are equipped with motor fire-engines. In a number of cases the supply of hose is insufficient to provide a reasonably adequate reserve. (5) Training. The personnel of the New Zealand fire brigades consists mainly of volunteers, there being only 250 permanent firemen (of whom 218 are members of city brigades), as compared with 2,215 volunteers. With very few exceptions, the standard of training is satisfactory, and, generally speaking, the training is carried out along sound lines. This is in large measure due to the activities of the United Fire Brigades' Association, and its provincial district associations. District competitions are arranged annually, and the Dominion competitions every two years, although, owing to the present financial position, no Dominion competitions have been held since 1930.

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The association has recently formed the New Zealand Officers' and Firemen's Institute, membership of which will in future be by examination only. This institute is likely to become an important factor in maintaining the efficiency of the volunteer firemen, as it not only ensures that the members have some knowledge of the theoretical principles involved in fire brigade work, but also tends to make particularly the younger firemen take a greater interest in the service. Although, as indicated above, the equipment of many of the municipal brigades is of a lower standard than that of the Fire Board brigades, the keenness of the personnel and their efficiency within the limits of the equipment provided is very creditable. Dominion Fire Waste. The national loss by fire during the year 1932 was £867,714, as compared with £1,292,094 for the previous year, and an average of £1,332,032 for the previous five-year period. As is usual in these reports, the estimates are conservative, being obtained by taking the actual payments made by the insurance companies, and adding a percentage for uninsured loss (12£ per cent.), which is based on the experience in Fire Board districts over a period of years. The fire waste for the year is the lowest since 1922 and represents a loss per head of population of lis. 5d., as compared with an average of 18s. Id. for the previous five-year period. It is also very pleasing to note that the New Zealand fire waste has for the first time in a number of years fallen well below the figures for other high fire-loss countries such as the United States and Canada, the figures for which for the year 1932 are 13s. sd. and 16s. Bd. respectively. The fire losses in Fire Board districts (see Table I attached), while not strictly comparable, as they are compiled for the financial year ending 31st March, 1933, instead of the annual year 1932, show an even greater proportionate reduction, the fire loss for the year being only £201,736 (ss. lid. per head of population) as compared with £508,407 (14s. lid. per head of population) for the preceding five-year period. A consideration of the probable causes of this reduction in fire loss will be of interest. In the first place, it must be remembered that owing to the drop in property values due to the present world-wide depression, the insurance companies' payments in respect of fire loss would in any case be considerably lower, since these payments are made on the basis of the value at the time of loss, and not on the value at the time of insurance. In commenting on the American losses for the year the authorities in both the United States and Canada have drawn attention to this factor, and have indicated that the losses in these countries, which represent a drop of about 11 per cent, on the previous year's figures, were due in the main to reduction in values rather than a diminution in the actual fire waste. The New Zealand figures, which show a reduction of one-third on the previous year, indicate a definite reduction in fire waste, since it is most unlikely that the reduction due to lower property values would exceed 20 per cent. This is confirmed by the fact that, despite the inclusion of several additional areas, the number of fires in Fire Board districts, in which more than half the total insurable property is located, has fallen from 1,345 (average for three years ending 1931) to 737 for the year under review, or a reduction of 45 per cent. The fire-prevention campaign inaugurated by the Government at the end of 1931 was undoubtedly one of the most important factors in effecting the reduction shown. The campaign was undertaken in the early stages of the depression, and special efforts were made both through the press, in lectures, and broadcast talks, and by the distribution of publicity matter to stress the economic factor, and to show that fires did not " pay." Particular attention was devoted to correcting the mistaken view generally held by the public with regard to the effect of fire insurance, and to show that even under normal conditions the amount recovered under insurance policies did not cover the loss sustained from fire, and further, that the depression had emphasized this position by reducing the owner's equity in property. The action taken by most of the insurance companies in closer inspection of property insured and in insisting on a general reduction in insurance " cover " also helped greatly in giving the public an appreciation of the position. It would appear likely that the most important influence affecting the fire-loss position is the more general understanding by the public of the facts regarding fire. A fair proportion of the owners of property have realized that on present-day values their equity in the property has been greatly reduced or even extinguished. It is hoped that with the return of more prosperous times this position will correct itself, and so long as an owner can maintain the necessary minimum payments he is able at least to obtain a living out of his business, or to keep his home intact, but in most cases a forced realization would result in ruin or very severe loss. A serious fire would force this realization, and the necessity for extreme care with regard to fire is apparent. Causes of Fire. From an examination of the figures relating to the causes of fire it is very clear that the ordinary heating or cooking fireplace is the principal fire risk existing under New Zealand conditions, and no permanent reduction in the Dominion fire loss will be achieved until this fact is fully realized. The hazard is a hvdra-headed one, and amongst its many manifestations are the ignition of clothes being aired in front of a fire, fires caused through sparks thrown out, defective chimneys and hearths, fuel projecting from or placed near the firebox, hot ashes placed in wooden containers, fat or the like boiling over, defective boilers or hot-water systems, lighting fires with kerosene, &c. A consideration of the reports from the police, Fire Superintendents, and Fire Adjusters leads to the conclusion that the majority of fires which are returned as " cause unknown," and which constitute over one-third of the total fixe loss recorded, are due to some variant of the fireplace hazard. The cause is returned as " Unknown " because the fire has destroyed the definite evidence, but the circumstances are such as to exclude most other possible causes.

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With regard to other causes of fire, one can only repeat the list that has been quoted for the past twenty-five years in these reports, most of them coming under the general heading of human carelessness—smokers throwing down lighted matches, cigarettes, &c. ; smoking in bed ; electric irons and similar equipment left turned on ; home dry-cleaning with petrol; sparks from unattended rubbish-fires ; carelessness with candles and lamps ; children playing with fires and matches. All of these are represented this year as in past years and in much the same proportion. Of the total number of fires more than half are extinguished in the incipient stages and involve the loss of a few pounds only. A comparison of the insurance companies' returns with those received from the Fire Brigade Superintendents show that only one-third of the fires occurring in fire districts require the attention of the brigade. The returns show, however, that both the small fires and those which involve heavy loss, arise from the same acts of carelessness and it is only the efficiency of the fire brigade service which prevents the total fire loss being much greater than at present. Incendiarism. The arrangement referred to in the last annual report, under which the police make special investigations into fires the cause of which is not clearly established, has been continued, and the circumstances of each case are considered by a committee consisting of the Commissioner of Police, the General Manager of the State Fire Office, and the Inspector of Fire Brigades. The files show that very great care is taken by the police in making inquiries into the bom fides of fires, and the members of the committee are of opinion that the publicity given by these investigations, the taking of statements from witnesses, and the occasional public inquiry before a Coroner, have a very definite value as a deterrent against incendiarism. The committee has no power of instituting a Coroner's inquiry, and in a number of instances its recommendation that an inquiry be held has not been acceded to by the District Coroner. The following figures, however, show a considerable increase in the number of inquiries held, and also in convictions for arson, as compared with the previous year.

Death and Injury in Fires. Seven fatalities due to fires were recorded during the year. Three men were burned to death by fires due to smoking or like causes in buildings where they were sleeping alone, two men lost their lives as a result of fires in hotels, and a child was burned to death in a dwelling fire ; one death was caused by the explosion of a fire-extinguisher with which an attempt was being made to extinguish an incipient fire. The number of cases of injury to persons from fire was considerably lower than in previous years, as would be expected from the lesser number of serious fires occurring. Home dry-cleaning with petrol was the most prolific cause of injury, but fortunately no fatal fires occurred from this caused It appears to be impossible to educate the public to an appreciation of the danger, both to person and property, arising from the use of petrol inside buildings. Hotel Fires. For a number of years past several lives have been lost each year owing to fires in hotels. In the last annual report attention was drawn to the necessity for the provision of adequate external exits from every hotel bedroom, owing to the fact that stairs and passageways form the natural draught for fire and quickly become unusable owing to the heavy smoke. It is a fairly common practice for hotels to be fitted with a fire-alarm system intended to arouse the guests in case of fire Recent inspections of a number of city hotels indicate that in many cases these installations are quite ineffective for their purpose. In Wellington, for instance, an examination of the alarm-system in twenty public and seventeen private hotels showed the following position :— Public Private r, , , , ~ Hotels. Hotels. (Jut of order, or partly so .. .. .. .. 7 7 No provision .. .. .. .. ~ .. 2 9 Inadequate provision .. .. .. .. .. 2 Hand-bells .. .. .. .. .. .. 2 Faulty installation .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 1 In order .. .. .. .. .. , .. 6 20 17 It cannot be too strongly stressed that in every place where a number of persons are accommodated at night, and particularly in the case of hotels where the guests are mostly transient and therefore not well acquainted with the building, it is essential in the interests of the safety of human life, that not only should adequate exits and an alarm system be provided, but that these should be regularly inspected and maintained in good order. 0

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Year. ' r Convictions. j Dismissals. CoroniaJ Inquiries Arson. mto Fi res1931 .... 28 16 12 5 1932 .... 27 21 6 15

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It is desirable that the alarm system should be automatic in action, but owing to the cost of a complete automatic system it would probably not be practicable to install this except in the case of the larger hotels. There are, however, on the market automatic fire-detectors which operate with either smoke or heat, and which could be incorporated in the " rousing" alarm systems already installed. The cost of installing a number of these detectors in passages and stairways through which fire is liable to spread would not be considerable, and they would add greatly to the safety of the travelling public. Hand Fire-extinguishers. It will be noted above that a fatal accident occurred during the year owing to the explosion of a hand fire-extinguisher. Inquiries made since this accident indicate that there are a number of fire-extinguishers on the market which are not of sufficient strength to be safe for use under the conditions of maintenance which have been shown to exist in many cases. Arrangements have now been made for a departmental committee to be set up to go into the question and draw up minimum specifications for both construction and maintenance of hand-extinguishers. Maintenance of Private Fire Protection Equipment. Inspections made during the year show that in very many instances fire alarms, extinguishers, and other equipment installed both in public institutions and in private premises have, owing to insufficient or unskilled maintenance, been permitted to reach a condition where they are no longer effective for their purpose. A series of tests of fire-extinguishers, for instance, in hotels and other business premises showed that 54 per cent, failed to operate. In one public institution, of seven extinguishers, five were unsafe to use, and only one was in full working-order. Such conditions are most unsatisfactory, and tend to cause a false sense of security with respect to fire. Several of the city fire brigades have instituted a system under which for a small annual charge the brigade undertakes the testing and maintenance of private fire equipment, and an extension of this system throughout the fire service would be of great advantage both to the public and to the service. There is little doubt that persons or firms who have shown sufficient recognition of the dangers arising from fire to install protection equipment will be willing to pay a small charge for maintenance if they can be convinced that this is necessary to ensure that the equipment will function properly when required. It may be objected that the maintenance of this equipment is a matter for private enterprise rather than for a public authority. There are, however, certain definite advantages in having the fire brigade personnel carry out the work. In the first place, the firemen are fully experienced'both in the use and maintenance of the equipment, and during their servicing visits they will obtain a knowledge of the buildings in the town which is of great value when a fire occurs. In the second place, it is necessary in the cities to maintain a considerable staff of permanent firemen, and there is normally some difficulty in keeping these men employed during the daytime on useful or remunerative work. The maintenance of private equipment would provide such work, and the additional revenue would enable the Fire Boards either to employ a larger staff of firemen, or to reduce the cost to the ratepayers of the fire service. The volunteer brigades would probably welcome the opportunity of obtaining additional revenue for general brigade purposes. It should be noted that if the work is carried out by private contract the working personnel is not available for fire-fighting duty. Fire-prevention. In view of the extremely promising results which followed the fire-prevention campaign carried out at the end of 1931, it is unfortunate that, owing to pressure of other work, it has not been possible to make Fire-prevention Week an annual feature as was intended. It is generally recognized that fire-prevention is mainly a matter of public education, and to be effective this education must be not spasmodic but a continuous process. At the moment the financial conditions existing have forced on the public a realization of the necessity for greater care with regard to fire, but these conditions will not last indefinitely, and either, as is to be hoped, there will be a recovery in prices, or business will re-establish itself on a new basis of values. In either case the immediate incentive to greater care which at present exists will cease to obtain, and unless some steps are taken to bring the question before the public at regular intervals, it is likely there will be a drift back to the disastrous fire-waste conditions previously existing. The organization of a fire-prevention campaign involves a considerable amount of work, and it is probable that this could be more effectively carried out by the central fire brigade controlling authority, the formation of which is suggested elsewhere in this report. Municipal Fire-prevention By-laws. The Department has recently been in correspondence with the fire-prevention authorities (Fire Marshals) in a number of the States in Canada and the United States of America, and the opinion appears to be generally held that in their communities the inspection of business premises for fire hazards is having a very valuable effect in the reduction both of the number and severity of fires. Most of the New Zealand fire-prevention by-laws date back to the period when the principal fire hazards were confined to two- and three-story buildings, mostly of wood, and the stabling and storage of fodder incidental to horse transport. Provision is made, for instance, prohibiting the storage of hay, straw, and other inflammable material within certain distances from buildings, but no power

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is given to exercise any control over the storage of inflammable material inside buildings, or to safeguard the large stores, offices, and warehouses which have been erected in recent years. Many of these buildings, although of modern construction, have been designed without adequate provision for preventing or limiting the spread of fire, and it is important that power should be taken for the inspection of business premises with the object of removing or limiting fire hazards which may involve serious fire loss, particularly when adjoining buildings may also be affected. There is power under the Fire Brigades Act for the making of by-laws for this purpose, but it is considered by the Department that by-laws affecting the citizens generally should as far as possible be made by the municipality rather than by an authority constituted for a special function. The Wellington City Council has recently passed a fire-prevention by-law (published as an appendix to this report), which contains wide powers of inspection for fire hazards, and which provides for the appointment of the fire brigade officers as Inspectors. It is considered that this by-law meets all necessary requirements, and it is strongly recommended that in the interests of public safety other municipalities, and particularly those in the cities and large towns, should consider making similar amendments to their by-laws. Construction op Buildings. Owing to the pressure of emergency legislation, the Building Construction Bill, the necessity for which was emphasized in the last annual report, was not passed last session, but it is understood that the question will again come before the Legislature during the present session. During the year a number of instances have been noted where the city brigades had considerable difficulty in preventing the spread of fire owing to the faulty building design, and conversely where wired-glass windows and similar protective provisions prevented fires communicating to adjoining buildings. Fire Brigade Control in Fire Districts. The Fire Brigades Act at present requires that a Fire Board independent of the municipality shall be set up in every fire district. It will be seen from Table I attached that half the Fire Boards at present existing have an annual expenditure of less than £600, and the administration expenses of these small Boards (Secretary's salary, office expenses, &c.) form a considerable proportion of the cost, in some cases exceeding 20 per cent. The work of the insurance representatives on Fire Boards has been of undoubted value, particularly in the developmental stage, owing to their professional knowledge of and interest in fire brigade work, but it will be seen from the figures in this report that this stage is now past, since about 85 per cent, of the insurable property in the towns is protected by Fire Boards already existing. Most of the country Boards hold at most four meetings a year, and the actual administration of fire brigade affairs is mainly left to the local members (municipal and Government representatives). It is suggested that the time has arrived when it would be in the interests of both efficiency and economy to form one Dominion Board to control the financial affairs of the fire service, and, except in the case of the principal cities, or where the areas of more than one local authority are included in the fire district, to hand back to the local authorities the actual administration of the brigades. A detailed scheme to give effect to this proposal is at present under consideration. Inspection. A considerable amount of time was spent during the year in organizing the A ckland Metropolitan Fire District, and also in the preparation of the amending legislation passed during the year. It was not possible to make a complete inspection of all brigades, but the majority were visited at least once. The conditions found were generally satisfactory, but in several cases an increase in the stock of firehose was recommended. The adoption of controlling nozzles and the provision of salvage sheets and other equipment designed to limit the damage occasioned by water in fighting small fires has been generally advocated, and it is pleasing to note the excellent work carried out bv some of the smaller brigades with this type of equipment. As indicated in the general survey of fire-protection conditions, the standard of training appears to be improving, the principal defect being that in many cases insufficient attention is paid to drill designed to exercise the brigade in the work which would be required at large fires. Even the smaller towns have hotels, theatres, and blocks of wooden buildings, which under certain circumstances are liable to form serious fires, and it is essential that every brigade should be trained to handle this class of fire. It will be noted from the figures in Table V that during the ten years covered by the record a number of towns —notably Balclutha, Dannevirke, Hamilton, Hawera, Kaiapoi, Lawrence, and Whangarei—have experienced fire losses in a single year which represent about half the total loss in the ten-year period. Further investigations were made during the year with respect to the water supply and reticulation in several fire districts, and in a number of cases recommendations were made for the provision of a fire-pump. The usual reports were made on inspections of public buildings and institutions, and advice has been given to Fire Boards and local bodies with regard to fire-station sites and buildings, watersupply installations, &c. Reports were also made to the Local Government Loans Board on loans proposed for fire-prevention and water supply and reticulation purposes. I have, &c., R. Girling-Butcher, Inspector of Fire Brigades.

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Table I.—Miscellaneous Statistics for Fire Districts.

Table II.—Areas declared Fire Districts after 31st March, 1933, or protected by Fire Boards.

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Table I.—Miscellaneous Statistics for Fire Districts. Insurance Number involv- insurances Insured Uninsured utho Jj? ed District Popula- Rateable Companies of ineLoss on Fire Loss, Fire Loss, Expenditure tion. Capital Value. Premium Ffre i of Bulld ' ngs Loss endiZ^lt Income Calls i Pro- involved and and oss - ending 31st pertv ' n i 1 ' rea - Contents. Contents. 1934 £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Auekknd .. 106,900 48,536,260 163,448 467 103 463,969 47,137 931 48,068 30 400* Balclutha .. 1,630 270,550 2,107 6 2 2,475 1,600 .. 1 600 ''>35 Birkenhead .. 3,420 912,143 4,408 6 2 800 800 2 *802 485 Cambridge .. 2,170 729,335 3,222 3 2 2,350 792 .. 792 574 Chris tchurch .. 91,500 29,383,704 115,519 329 93 294,805 25,968 2,223 28 191 12 000 Dannevirke .. 4,570 1,406,937 7,431 5 4 5,880 330 10 '340 623 Dargaville .. 2,000 490,472 3,355 11 4 2,865 2,865 1,790 4 655 457 Dunedin .. 69,400 17,038,830 77,507 435 81 132,172 16,342 1829 is'l71 11750 Eltham .. 2,010 539,274 1,760 2 1 200 4 4 277 Feildmg .. 4,480 1,419,197 6,085 11 5 10,285 61 22 83 746 Foxton .. 1,730 252,713 1,690 5 4 2,475 1,554 475 2 029 352 Gisborne .. 14,450 4,759,590 21,759 31 17 41,717 7 847 312 8 159 2 682 Greymouth .. 6,310 1,110,293 7,393 9 3 2 625 1 426 7 K 841 Hamilton .. 5,550 5,175,830 19,398 59 24 31,047 3,163 210 3 373 2 700 Hastings .. 12,250 3,523,834 16,269 30 10 13,095 423 7 430 2 334 HaweTa .. 4,740 1,722,709 7,938 25 7 12,866 188 4 192 1 143 Hikurang. .. 1,270 162,656 1,037 3 2 2,500 1,000 .. 1 000 170 Hokitika .. 2,570 390,025 3,239 2 1 200 193 .. 193 600 Invercargill .. 20,900 5,180,473 25,788 84 31 124,640 2,304 437 2 741 5 077 Kaiapoi .. ,750 318,773 2,207 7 2 240 240 195 435 413 Kaitangata .. 1,380 102,200 1,117 I inn Lawrence .. 640 56,850 i 741 1 " " " " 7* Jfvin ■ • .. 2,770 754,558 3,944 14 5 3,'500 '302 "l0 *312 608 Masterton .. 8,750 2,504,252 13,096 33 14 11,745 1,190 132 1 322 2 008 Milton.. .. 1,580 231,153 1,892 1 1 ' 40 '40 '?£n Mount Roskill .. 6,430 2,313,716 6,380 21 6 3,996 l',220 132 1 352 t Napier .. 16,300 4,181,917 26,259 30 10 10,290 2 284 10 2 294 3 80-5 New Plymouth .. 16,350 4,988,775 18,878 51 16 23,025 5,124 350 5 '474 l'980 Oamaru .. 7,650 1,541,663 8,641 15 10 18,080 2 867 .. 2'867 727 Ohakune .. 1,400 113,940 1,250 5 4 2 775 1 617 205 l'x99 9Q* Onehunga .. 11,250 2,976,632 9,835 33 15 7,675 l',136 403 l'539 t Opotiki .. 1,320 329,907 2,003 8 .. 11,700 !. .. 430 Otaki .. 1,650 309,865 1,968 9 7 3,425 2,128 35 2!l63 360 Pahiatua ..J 1,530 343,457 3,549 2 2 1 900 335 Tifi Palmerston North 21,650 7,365,436 31,788 96 19 47!153 2,704 *i31 2 835 4 145 P ?"A, , •' U Al° 3 ' 142 ' 216 15.920 11 5 10,125 145 20 'l65 1 651 Port Chalmers .. 2,570 306,321 2,032 2 550 ??a Pukekohe .. 2,550 799,048 3,077 9 2 100 "50 "l5 "65 606 Rotorua .. 5,220 1,458,575 7,180 22 8 7,130 1,478 78 1,556 1037 Taihape .. 2,450 536,774 3,882 3 1 1,000 22 .. 22 519 Taumarunui .. 2,530 632,812 3,272 8 3 11 980 97 32 12Q 49S • o'ron 4 > 277 11 » 1:865 1,049 245 1,294 HI TeAroha .. 2,530 711,773 4,046 2 2 1,350 95 Q-5 9 Te Awamutu .. 1,910 644,828 3,622 9 3 1,302 221 " 221 528 Timaru .. : 17,300 5,216,962 17,340 54 18 28,005 2,137 " 9 4 2,231 2,581 Waihi .. 3,100 266,581 2,707 19 7 3,300 1,471 66 1 537 640 Waipukurau .. 2,020 506,571 3,018 8 2 2,750 1 325 300 1 625 355 Wairoa .. 2,450 684,141 4,162 2 2 300 88 2 'on Kin Waitara .. 1,880 320,650 2,622 3 3 773 621 212 833 '234 Wanganui .. 24,850 7,946,339 34,194 111 23 38 120 7 931 483 8 TA tt «sn Wellington .. 113,500 54,056,941 ,190,490 743 129 818,7!,4 25,8m 5,249 31! 148 2s'l24 Westport 4,040 505,930 4,517 7 4 6 375 1 273 1 530 Vsm aln Whangarei .. 7,750 2,355,921 8,335 25 11 8,200 1,003 Woodville .. 1,120 166,340 1,541 2 2 550 9 !. 9 299 682,260 232,537,943 |939,135 2,900 737 12,238,039 181,841 19,895 201,736 136,118 * Estimate for Auckland Metropolitan Fire Hoard. t Included in estimates for Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board. Table II.—Areas declared Fire Districts after 31st March, 1933, or protected by Fire Boards. Brigade Personnel. District. Population. . : r Capital Value. Sleeping on „ . , Remarks. Station at „, Tota ' Night. Strength. £ Cobden .. .. I'??® ion'ofS " District joining with Greymouth. Green Island " 2*400 m'wn 1 furled in Auckland Metropolitan Fire District, tireen island .. 2,400 384,700 .. 5 Protected by Dunedin Fire Board. mS aii " 32?? , ???'??? " 15 Newly declared Fire District. Mount F len " fo'Jnn « 16 Included in Auckland Metropolitan Fire District. Mnnnt W.1rwnn" 'on™ 6 16 Included i.. Auckland Metropolitan Fire District. Nelson g . , . 12 Included in Auckland Metropolitan Fire District. S elson r: •• 2,830.309 4 24 Newly declared Fire District. One Tree Hill VofiH •*'" " Included in Auckland Metropolitan Fire District. One Tree Hill .. 8,050 3,194,109 .. .. Included in Auckland Metropolitan Fire District Fulton re ' 3,795,757 .. .. Protected by Christchurch Rre Board. St. Kilda.. .. 8,250 1,766,271 .. .. Protected by Dunedin Fire Board. 93,900 26,705,128 20 120

Table I.—Miscellaneous Statistics for Fire Districts. Insurance Number involv- insurances Insured Uninsured utho Jj? ed District Popula- Rateable Companies of ineLoss on Fire Loss, Fire Loss, Expenditure tion. Capital Value. Premium Ffre i of Bulld ' ngs Loss endiZ^lt Income Calls i Pro- involved and and oss - ending 31st pertv ' n i 1 ' rea - Contents. Contents. 1934 £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Auekknd .. 106,900 48,536,260 163,448 467 103 463,969 47,137 931 48,068 30 400* Balclutha .. 1,630 270,550 2,107 6 2 2,475 1,600 .. 1 600 ''>35 Birkenhead .. 3,420 912,143 4,408 6 2 800 800 2 *802 485 Cambridge .. 2,170 729,335 3,222 3 2 2,350 792 .. 792 574 Chris tchurch .. 91,500 29,383,704 115,519 329 93 294,805 25,968 2,223 28 191 12 000 Dannevirke .. 4,570 1,406,937 7,431 5 4 5,880 330 10 '340 623 Dargaville .. 2,000 490,472 3,355 11 4 2,865 2,865 1,790 4 655 457 Dunedin .. 69,400 17,038,830 77,507 435 81 132,172 16,342 1829 is'l71 11750 Eltham .. 2,010 539,274 1,760 2 1 200 4 4 277 Feildmg .. 4,480 1,419,197 6,085 11 5 10,285 61 22 83 746 Foxton .. 1,730 252,713 1,690 5 4 2,475 1,554 475 2 029 352 Gisborne .. 14,450 4,759,590 21,759 31 17 41,717 7 847 312 8 159 2 682 Greymouth .. 6,310 1,110,293 7,393 9 3 2 625 1 426 7 K 841 Hamilton .. 5,550 5,175,830 19,398 59 24 31,047 3,163 210 3 373 2 700 Hastings .. 12,250 3,523,834 16,269 30 10 13,095 423 7 430 2 334 HaweTa .. 4,740 1,722,709 7,938 25 7 12,866 188 4 192 1 143 Hikurang. .. 1,270 162,656 1,037 3 2 2,500 1,000 .. 1 000 170 Hokitika .. 2,570 390,025 3,239 2 1 200 193 .. 193 600 Invercargill .. 20,900 5,180,473 25,788 84 31 124,640 2,304 437 2 741 5 077 Kaiapoi .. ,750 318,773 2,207 7 2 240 240 195 435 413 Kaitangata .. 1,380 102,200 1,117 I inn Lawrence .. 640 56,850 i 741 1 " " " " 7* Jfvin ■ • .. 2,770 754,558 3,944 14 5 3,'500 '302 "l0 *312 608 Masterton .. 8,750 2,504,252 13,096 33 14 11,745 1,190 132 1 322 2 008 Milton.. .. 1,580 231,153 1,892 1 1 ' 40 '40 '?£n Mount Roskill .. 6,430 2,313,716 6,380 21 6 3,996 l',220 132 1 352 t Napier .. 16,300 4,181,917 26,259 30 10 10,290 2 284 10 2 294 3 80-5 New Plymouth .. 16,350 4,988,775 18,878 51 16 23,025 5,124 350 5 '474 l'980 Oamaru .. 7,650 1,541,663 8,641 15 10 18,080 2 867 .. 2'867 727 Ohakune .. 1,400 113,940 1,250 5 4 2 775 1 617 205 l'x99 9Q* Onehunga .. 11,250 2,976,632 9,835 33 15 7,675 l',136 403 l'539 t Opotiki .. 1,320 329,907 2,003 8 .. 11,700 !. .. 430 Otaki .. 1,650 309,865 1,968 9 7 3,425 2,128 35 2!l63 360 Pahiatua ..J 1,530 343,457 3,549 2 2 1 900 335 Tifi Palmerston North 21,650 7,365,436 31,788 96 19 47!153 2,704 *i31 2 835 4 145 P ?"A, , •' U Al° 3 ' 142 ' 216 15.920 11 5 10,125 145 20 'l65 1 651 Port Chalmers .. 2,570 306,321 2,032 2 550 ??a Pukekohe .. 2,550 799,048 3,077 9 2 100 "50 "l5 "65 606 Rotorua .. 5,220 1,458,575 7,180 22 8 7,130 1,478 78 1,556 1037 Taihape .. 2,450 536,774 3,882 3 1 1,000 22 .. 22 519 Taumarunui .. 2,530 632,812 3,272 8 3 11 980 97 32 12Q 49S • o'ron 4 > 277 11 » 1:865 1,049 245 1,294 HI TeAroha .. 2,530 711,773 4,046 2 2 1,350 95 Q-5 9 Te Awamutu .. 1,910 644,828 3,622 9 3 1,302 221 " 221 528 Timaru .. : 17,300 5,216,962 17,340 54 18 28,005 2,137 " 9 4 2,231 2,581 Waihi .. 3,100 266,581 2,707 19 7 3,300 1,471 66 1 537 640 Waipukurau .. 2,020 506,571 3,018 8 2 2,750 1 325 300 1 625 355 Wairoa .. 2,450 684,141 4,162 2 2 300 88 2 'on Kin Waitara .. 1,880 320,650 2,622 3 3 773 621 212 833 '234 Wanganui .. 24,850 7,946,339 34,194 111 23 38 120 7 931 483 8 TA tt «sn Wellington .. 113,500 54,056,941 ,190,490 743 129 818,7!,4 25,8m 5,249 31! 148 2s'l24 Westport 4,040 505,930 4,517 7 4 6 375 1 273 1 530 Vsm aln Whangarei .. 7,750 2,355,921 8,335 25 11 8,200 1,003 Woodville .. 1,120 166,340 1,541 2 2 550 9 !. 9 299 682,260 232,537,943 |939,135 2,900 737 12,238,039 181,841 19,895 201,736 136,118 * Estimate for Auckland Metropolitan Fire Hoard. t Included in estimates for Auckland Metropolitan Fire Board. Table II.—Areas declared Fire Districts after 31st March, 1933, or protected by Fire Boards. Brigade Personnel. District. Population. . : r Capital Value. Sleeping on „ . , Remarks. Station at „, Tota ' Night. Strength. £ Cobden .. .. I'??® ion'ofS " District joining with Greymouth. Green Island " 2*400 m'wn 1 furled in Auckland Metropolitan Fire District, tireen island .. 2,400 384,700 .. 5 Protected by Dunedin Fire Board. mS aii " 32?? , ???'??? " 15 Newly declared Fire District. Mount F len " fo'Jnn « 16 Included in Auckland Metropolitan Fire District. Mnnnt W.1rwnn" 'on™ 6 16 Included i.. Auckland Metropolitan Fire District. Nelson g . , . 12 Included in Auckland Metropolitan Fire District. S elson r: •• 2,830.309 4 24 Newly declared Fire District. One Tree Hill VofiH •*'" " Included in Auckland Metropolitan Fire District. One Tree Hill .. 8,050 3,194,109 .. .. Included in Auckland Metropolitan Fire District Fulton re ' 3,795,757 .. .. Protected by Christchurch Rre Board. St. Kilda.. .. 8,250 1,766,271 .. .. Protected by Dunedin Fire Board. 93,900 26,705,128 20 120

H—l2.

Table III.—Showing Brigade Equipment and Personnel in Fire Districts.

8

Brigade Equipment. Brigade Personnel. Fire-alarm System. I Fire Hose. Non-permanent. . Fire-engines. Method of Calling District. (M = Motor Tender; Nature of Coupling Brigade. MP = Motor Tender and Size of Hose. I'erma- * f v(T) = Operated from with Pump; TP= (V = Standard "V" nent. Resi- Telephone Exchange; Trailer Pump; H= Thread; R = Length denton Non- J. (B) = Bells in MemHose Reel only.) Bound Thread; (in Station resi- 'i " bers' Dwellings; (A) I = Instantan- Feet). at dent. ' = Attendant always eous) Night. on Duty.) In. Auckland .. MP, 2; M, 12 .. I, 2f .. 16,800 53 41 .. 418 (A). Balclutlia .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 2,000 .. 3 13 Bell. Birkenhead .. MP, 1 .. ..1,2$ .. 1,250 .. 3 9 .. Syren. Cambridge .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,350 .. 2 13 4 Syren (T). Christchurch .. MP, 4; M, 6; TP, 1 V, 2} .. 17,200 40 8 .. 176 (A). Dannevirke .. MP, 1 ; M, 1 .. V, 2$ .. 3,600 .. 7 13 18 Bell (A). Dargaville .. M, 1 .. V, 2$ .. 2,120 .. 1 2 16 .. Bell. Dunedin .. MP, 3; M, 4 .. V, 2$ .. 14,650 34 6 6 201 (A). Eltham .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,300* .. 4 13 Bell (A). Feilding .. MP, 1; M, 1 .. V, 2$ .. 3,000 .. 4 18 .. Bell (A). Foxton .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,000* .. 3 14 3 Syren (T). Gisborne .. ! M, 2; TP, 2 .. V, 2$ .. 3,500 2\ 7 15 59 Syren (A), (B). Greymouth .. M, 1; MP, 1 .. V, 2J .. 3,000 l! 5 20 .. Bell (A), (B). Hamilton .. MP, 2; M, 1 .. 1,2$ .. 4,700 4 | 5 16 42 Syren (A), (B). Hastings .. M, 2 .. .. V, 2$ .. 3,100 1 8 14 41 Syren (A). Hawera .. MP, 1; M, 1 .. V, 2$ .. 3,400 2 4 11 20 Syren (A). Hikurangi .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,600 .. 2 13 Bell. Hokitika .. MP, 1 .. .. V, 2J .. 2,300 .. 1 29 Bell. Invercargill .. MP, 3; M, 1 ..1,2} .. 6,300 10 7 6 47 Syren (A). Kaiapoi .. MP, 1 .. .. V, 2} .. 2,800 .. 1 13 .. Bell (A). Kaitangata .. ' M, 1 .. .. V, 2 J .. 1,500 j 12 .. Bell. Lawrence .. H, 2 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,200 .. j .. 11 .. Bell. Levin .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,800 .. j 3 14 1 Syren (T). Masterton .. MP, 1 ; M, 1 .. V, 2$ .. 2,725 2 4 12 16 Bell (A). Milton .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,500 .. 2 11 .. Bell. Mount Roskill .. MP, 1 .. I, 2$ .. 2,000 1 4 13 Syren (A). Napier .. MP, 2; M, 1 .. V, 2$ .. 7,600 4 13 19 32 Syren (A). New Plymouth .. MP, 1 ; M, 2 ..1,2$ .. 3,550 2 5 14 44 Bell (A), (B). Oamaru .. MP, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 2,475 l| 5 11 .. Bell (A). Ohakune .. M, 1; TP, 1 .. V, 2$ .. 1,300* .. 2 12 .. Bell. Onehunga .. M, 2 .. ..1,2$ .. 2,400 1 6 11 37 Syren (A). Opotiki .. M, 1 .. ..1,2$ .. 1,000* .. 3 12 8 Syren (T). Otaki .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,400 .. 1 18 .. Syren. Pahiatua .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 2,200 .. 2 16 Bell. PalmerstonNorth MP, 3 .. V, 2$ .. 4,900 7 11 8 57 Syren (A). Petone .. MP, 1 ; M, 1 .. R, 2$ .. 4,515 2 1 22 27 (B), (A). Port Chalmers .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,300 .. .. 10 .. Bell. Pukekohe .. M, 1 .. .. | V, 2$ .. 1,800 .. 2 10 11 Syren (T). Rotorua .. MP, 1 ; M, 1 .. 1,2$ .. 2,400 1 7 11 24 Syren (A). Taihape .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,500 .. 1 17 19 Bell (A). Taumarunui .. M, 2 .. .. V, 2i .. 3,000 .. 4 13 .. Syren (T). Tauranga .. MP, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 2,000 .. 2 14 10 Syren (T). Te Aroha M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 2,100 .. 2 14 3 Syren (T). TeAwamutu .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,700 .. 2 14 .. Bell (T). Timaru .. MP, 2 .. .. V, 2$ .. 3,700 4 9 9 30 Telephone (A). Waihi .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 2,500 .. 5 10 16 Bell. Waipukurau M, 1 .. V, 2$ .. 1,200* .. 1 17 5 Syren (T). Wairoa .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 2,800 .. 2 15 .. Syren (T). Waitara .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 1,400 .. 1 15 .. Whistle (A). Wanganui .. MP, 2; M. 3 .. j V, 2$ .. 11,800 13 17 5 79 Syren (A). Wellington .. MP, 5; M, 6 .. | R, 2| .. 24,800 57 32 10 143 (A). Westport .. M, 2; TP, 1 .. i V, 2$ .. 2,500 .. 6 14 Bell. Whangarei .. M, 2 .. .. V, 2$ .. 2,500 .. 6 14 1 Bell (T). Woodville .. M, 1 .. .. V, 2$ .. 2,000 .. 2 14 .. Syren (T). i .. 208,035 242 286 694 1,592 I i I * Additional hose ordered.

H.—l2.

Table IV.—Showing Brigade Equipment and Personnel in Districts protected by Municipal Fire Brigades.

2—H. 12.

9

Table IV.—Showing Brigade Equipment and Personnel in Districts protected by Municipal Fire Brigades. Brigade Equipment. Brigade Personnel. Fire-engine (M= Number nI , . , „ „ . ( Rateable ' of Street P Capital Value. en ™~" th pi r(! Fire Hose: Sleeping T M AlarmSn TP- Size of Hose on Station L J 0 ™' boxes. Trailer Pmnp; iU,d L ' a * th - at N * ht - * H = Hose Reel only). £ In. Ft. Akaroa .. .. .. 600 138,756 M, 1 .. 2£ 1,200 .. 14 Alexandra .. .. .. 650 83,400 H, 2 .. 21 800 1 13 Ashburton .. .. .. 5,450 704,760 M, 1 / n|}»,350 4 17 Blenheim .. .. .. 5,300 1,479,030 M, 2 | :'f\4,000 4 21 Bluff.. .. .. .. 1,670 362,400 M, 1 .. 2£ 1,500 .. 11 2 Carterton .. .. .. 1,920 498,258 M, 1 ; TP, 1 2£ 2,000 2 19 2 Clyde .. .. .. 280 35,000* H, 1 .. 2J 600 .. 14 Coromandel .. .. .. 600 60,000* M, 1 .. 2J 1,200 2 7 Cromwell .. .. .. 600 74,900 H, 1 .. 2£ 1,000 1 16 Devonport .. .. .. 10,400 2,884,827 M, 2 .. 2£ 1,600 3 15 37 Eastbourne .. .. .. 2,070 754,355 M, 1 .. 2j 650 .. 17 Eketahuna .. .. .. 770 147,218 M, 1 .. 24 1,000 .. 16 Fairlie .. .. .. 800 180,000* MP, 1 .. 2J 600 .. 19 Featherston .. .. .. 1,120 186,897 M, 1 .. 2J 1,200 1 15 Geraldine .. .. .. 1,000 190,348 M, 1 .. 2£ 350 11 Gore .. .. .. .. 4,260 1,019,981 MP, 1 ; M, 1 2J 2,400 5 17 Greytown .. .. .. 1,140 196,063 M, 1 .. 2J 1,350 1 19 Havelock North .. .. 1,100 314,698 M, 2 .. 2£ 1,700 1 18 Helensville .. .. .. 1,020 172,510 M, 1 .. 2£ 750 .. 11 Henderson .. .. .. 1,110 272,171 M, 1 .. 2£ 760 .. 11 Howick .. .. .. 650 219,615 M, 1 { 2j} 950 •• 9 HunterviUe .. .. .. 640 95,860 M, 1 .. 2i 750 .. 20 Inglewood .. .. .. 1,280 265,961 M, 1 .. 2£ 2,000 2 16 Kaponga .. .. .. 410 90,561 M, 1 .. 2| 900 1 15 Kawakawa .. .. .. 400 54,850 H, 2 | 750 _ n Kumara .. .. .. 450 24,841 H, 1 .. 2| 600 .. 36 Leeston .. .. .. 660 148,495 MP, 1 .. 2£ 1,300 .. 14 Lower Hutt .. .. .. 14,250 5,309,682 MP, 1; M, l{ 1 19 Lyttelton .. .. .. 3,740 710,150 M, 1 .. 2J 4,000 .. 13 Manaia .. .. .. 720 106,025 H, 1 .. 2J 800 .. 13 Manunui .. .. .. 850 64,448 H, 2 .. 2£ 1,000 2 13 Matamata .. .. .. 1,170 350,975 M, 1 .. 2J 1,000 2 11 Mataura .. .. .. 1,320 299,605 M, 1 .. 2 J 950 1 11 Martinborough.. .. .. 1,040 235,090 M, 1 .. 2k 700 1 13 Marton .. .. .. 2,850 802,766 M, 1 .. 24 2,200 2 16 Methven .. .. .. 750 100,000* H, 1 .. 2J 1,200 .. 12 Morrinsville .. .. .. 1,740 543,088 M, 1 .. 24 2,000 .. 13 Motueka .. .. .. 1,590 407,893 MP, 1 .. 2\ 600 .. 15 Naseby .. .. .. 200 13,023 H, 2 .. 2£ 1,900 1 15 New Brighton .. .. .. 4,860 1,112.040 MP, 1 .. 2£ 4,020 5 16 7 Ngaruawahia .. .. .. 1,260 221,375 M, 1 .. 2£ 1,200 .. 8 Northcote .. .. .. 2,540 603,379 M, 1 .. 2j 800 .. 12 Otahuhu .. .. .. 5,050 1,226,818 MP, 1 .. 24 1,100 4 18 Otorohanga .. .. .. 690 163,533 H, 1 2 j 900 .. 13 .. Paeroa .. .. .. 1,940 444,143 M, 1 .. 24 1,200 2 14 Palmerston .. .. .. 800 116,047 M, 1 .. 2j 900 .. 7 Papakura .. .. .. 1,780 484,024 M, 1 .. 2£ 1,400 .. 12 Papatoetoe .. .. .. 2,130 785,430 M, 1 2£ 1,000 .. 13 Patea .. .. .. 1,150 143,079 M, 1 .. 2£ 1,000 3 22 Picton .. .. .. 1,310 361,248 M, 1 .. 24 1,800 2 23 Queenstown .. .. .. 870 162,610 MP, 1 .. 2£ 800 2 14 Raetihi .. .. .. 1,080 208,096 M, 1 .. 2£ 2,550 1 15 Rangiora .. .. .. 2,180 571,590 MP, 1 .. 2£ 3,000 .. 19 9 Keefton .. .. .. 1,500 200,000* H, 3 .. 2£ 2,000 2 18 Richmond .. .. .. 1,160 259,834 H, 2 .. 2J 1,500 .. 16 Ross .. .. .. .. 450 19,801 H, 3 .. 2£ 1,500 .. 15 Roxburgh .. .. .. 430 72,445 H, 1 .. 2£ 800 .. 16 Shannon .. .. .. 1,170 161,125 M, 1 ..2 800 I .. -18 Stratford .. .. .. 3,590 1,011,964 M, 1 .. 2£ 2,400 I 2 20 4 Sumner .. .. .. 3,250 822,960 M, 1 .. 2£ 1,500 1 20 Tahunanui .. .. .. 760 174,656 H, 1 ..1 150 .. 16 Takaka .. .. ' 430 92,609 M, 1 .. 24 1,200 .. 6 Takapuna .. .. .. 7,000 2,422,523 M, 1 .. 21 2,000 1 15 24 Tapanui .. .. .. 290 38,400 H, 1 .. 2| 800 .. 14 TeKuiti .. .. .. 2,530 563,743 M, 1 .. 2£ 1,500 1 16 Temuka .. .. .. 1,900 381,480 M, 1 .. 2£ 1,200 2 12 Te Puke .. .. .. 1,030 307,710 M, 1 .. 24 1,350 1 12 3 Thames .. .. .. 4,710 638,965 M, 2 ..24 2,800 1 24 Upper Hutt .. .. .. 3,700 815,441 M, 2 ..24 3,450 .. 28 Waimate .. .. .. 2,300 492,095 M. 1 .. 2£ 1,100 3 15 1 Waipawa .. .. .. 1,190 259,325 M, 1 .. 2£ 1,500 1 15 Waiuku .. .. .. 880 257,360 M, 1 .. 2J 800 2 15 Whakatane .. .. .. 1,530 341,610 M, 1 .. 2£ 1,500 2 12 Totals .. .. 144,010 35,535,958 .. 105,430 J 76 1,115 89 * Estimated valuation. 2—H. 12.

Table V.—Statistics for all Fire Districts which have been in Operation for the Ten Years 1924-33.

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All figures are averages over that period except those in column 8. r 2. i sT i. 5. , 6. 7. 8. ~ 9. la IT 12. lit , Fires per Highest Fire Finendi District ,, , „ Municipal Rates per Insurance pJ™,,,™ Number' of 1,000 of Loss in any F ir( .r n «. Fire Loss Loss per Fire Brigade , District. uiamci. population. Ratea Head. Premiums. Fires. Popula- Individual lire Loss. per Head. Fire. Expenditure. "XJf 1 per Head. tlon Year aeaa. £ £ s. d. £ £ s. d. £ £ £ s. d. £ £ s. d. Auckland .. 97,927 497,356 5 1 7 158,836 1 12 7 188 1-92 114,709 65,002 0 13 6 345 20,065 4 1 Auckland. Balclutha .. .. 1,559 3,743 2 8 0 2,064 1 6 6 3 1-92 7,090 1,153 0 14 10 461 I 375 4 10 Balclutha. Christchurch .. 86,792 232,526 2 13 7 116,989 1 7 0 146 1-68 96,575 50,853 0 11 9 348 12,385 2 10 Christchurch. Dannevirke .. 4,370 10,678 2 8 10 8,108 1 18 2 7 1-60 8,680 1,994 0 9 1 307 695 3 2 Dannevirke. Dargaville.. .. 2,044 12,588 6 3 0 3,739 1 16 7 6 2-94 4,125 3,896 1 18 1 696 574 5 7 Dargaville Dunedin .. .. 68,009 187,397 2 15 0 82,058 1 4 2 122 1-79 59,793 30,565 0 9 0 250 14,502 4 3 Dune din. Feilding .. 4,403 16,345 3 14 2 7,178 1 12 7 7 1-59 5,044 2.219 0 10 1 322 703 3 2 Feilding. Foxton .. .. 1,752 5,044 2 17 7 1,993 1 2 10 4 2-28 6,830 2,419 1 7 8 605 479 5 6 Foxton. Gisborne 13,745 61,809 4 10 0 24,248 1 15 2 24 1-75 24,240 13,157 0 19 2 548 2,580 3 9 Gisborne. Greymouth" .. 5,835 15,659 2 13 7 7,543 1 5 10 10 1 -71 32,174 10,983 1 17 8 1,156 1,031 3 6 Greymouth. Hamilton .. .. 14,771 58,079 3 18 7 22,412 1 10 5 22 1-49 25,746 5,120 0 6 11 232 2,708 3 8 Hamilton. Hastings .. .. 11,005 35,243 3 4 0 16,356 1 9 10 20 1-82 24,504 9,343 0 17 0 467 1,525 2 9 Hastings. Hawera .. .. 4,655 15,244 3 5 5 8,022 1 14 5 9 1-93 11,876 2,675 0 11 6 297 1,183 5 1 Hawera. Hokitika .. .. 2,469 3,731 1 10 3 2,952 1 4 0 6 2-43 8,591 2,852 1 3 1 475 572 4 8 Hokitika. Invercargill .. 18,936 71,747 3 15 9 23,846 1 5 2 38 2-01 47,221 14,835 0 15 8 391 5,443 5 9 Invercargill. Kaiapoi .. .. 1,724 2,086 1 4 2 2,571 1 9 10 5 2-90 25,984 4,855 2 15 11 1,033 716 8 4 Kaiapoi. Kaitangata .. 1,510 1,672 1 2 2 1,118 0 14 10 2 1-32 4,343 1,065 0 14 1 532 181 2 5 Kaitangata. Lawrence . .. 664 1,243 1 17 5 744 1 2 5 2 3-01 3,770 592 0 17 8 348 93 2 10 Lawrence. Levin . .. 2,539 5.984 2 7 2 3,932 1 11 0 5 1-97 9,745 2,394 0 18 11 435 663 5 2 Levin. Masterton .. .. 8,474 27,404 3 4 7 13,306 1 11 5 15 1-77 18,539 7,134 0 16 10 485 1,834 4 4 Masterton. Milton .. .. 1,521 4,015 2 12 10 2,254 1 9 8 2 1-31 1,000 211 0 2 9 132 195 2 7 Milton. Napier .. .. 15,839 55,436 3 10 0 28,430* 1 15 11 23 1-45 24,692 11,330 0 14 4 493 3,899 4 11 Napier. New Plymouth .. 14,936 52,035 3 9 8 19,268 1 5 10 18 1-21 9,593 5,783 0 7 9 323 2,052 2 9 New Plymouth. Oamaru .. .. 7,382 25,385 3 8 10 8,149 1 2 0 7 0-95 23,878 5,579 0 15 1 786 1,117 3 Q Oamaru. Ohakune .. .. 1,505 2,519 1 13 5 1,478 0 19 8 6 3-99 11,825 4,082 2 14 3 704 453 6 0 Ohakune. Palmerston North .. 19,482 70,223 3 12 0 31.212 1 12 0 40 2-05 31,637 16,277 0 16 8 405 3,815 3 9 Palmerston North. Petone .. .. 10,120 24,514 2 8 5 13,744 1 7 2 10 0-99 5,070 2,004 0 4 0 191 1,603 3 2 Petone. Port Chalmers .. 2,581 4,227 1 12 9 2,307 0 17 10 3 1-16 2,135 888 0 6 11 278 237 1 10 Port Chalmers. Rotorua .. .. 4,867 8,477 1 14 10 7,103 1 9 2 10 2-05 7,416 2,909 0 11 11 285 1,095 4 6 Kotorua. Taumarunui .. 2,440 7,868 3 4 6 3,478 1 8 7 7 2-87 7,942 2,061 0 16 11 290 541 4 5 Taumarunui. Tauranga .. .. 2,734 7,924 2 18 0 4,291f 1 11 5 5 1-83 5,074 2,269 0 16 7 473 663 4 10 Tauranga. Te Aroha .. .. 2,409 6,076 2 10 5 3,808 1 11 7 5 2 08 4,426 2,211 0 18 4 461 649 5 4 Te Aroha. Timaru .. .. 16,161 53,225 3 5 10 18,142 1 2 5 18 Ml 19,457 6,253 0 7 8 338 2,495 3 1 Timaru. Waihi .. .. 3,411 4,632 1 7 2 2,887 0 17 0 11 3-22 5,909 3,336 0 19 7 301 705 4 1 Waihi. Waitara .. .. 1,789 4,197 2 6 11 2,521 1 8 2 2 1-13 5,044 2,090 1 3 4 995 229 2 7 Waitara. Wanganui .. .. 24,427 98,464 4 0 7 36,935 1 10 4 42 1-72 14,074 9,671 0 7.11 229 7,238 5 11 Wanganui. Whangarei .. 6,756 24,849 3 13 7 7,901 1 3 5 9 1-33 36,569 7,564 1 2 4 813 1,080 3 2 Whangarei. All districts .. 491,543 1,719,644 3 10 0 701,923 1 8 7 856 1-75 .. 317,624 0 12 11 371 96,373 3 11 All districts. Nine years'average, 1,438,058 5,321,728 3 14 0 1,913,073 1 6 7 4,569 3-17 1,636,119 1,283,582 0 17 10 .. Nine years' average whole Dominion whole Dominion. * Average for six years only. t Average for seven years only.

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APPENDIX.

COPY OF BY-LAW MADE BY THE WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL IN RELATION TO THE PREVENTION OF DANGER FROM FIRE. 1. In this Part of this by-law,— " Goods " means any articles, materials, or merchandise, and includes any rubbish, debris, empty or partly empty crates or other packages, shavings, hay, straw, oily rags or waste, or other inflammable or combustible materials or substances : " Inspector " means any officer for the time being appointed by the Council to carry out the duty of inspection, control, and superintendence under this Part of this by-law, and the Council may, by resolution publicly notified, appoint any officer or officers of the Wellington Fire Board to be an Inspector or Inspectors : " Premises " includes both lands and buildings, or any portion thereof. 2. No person shall light, or keep lighted, any fire (whether enclosed or in the open air) in any street, private street, or public place, or light any bonfire, tar barrel, or other fire intended for illumination purposes, within 60 yards of any public or private street, or public place, save with the special permission in writing of the City Engineer. 3. No person shall set off or cause the explosion of any explosive material within the city without the special permission in writing of the City Engineer. 4. (1) No occupier of any building shall light, or suffer to be lighted, any fire therein save in a properly constructed fireplace. (2) For the purposes of this clause no fireplace shall be considered properly constructed unless constructed as required by the provisions in that behalf contained in Part II of the Wellington City By-law No. 1, 1908, or in any by-law passed in amendment thereof or in modification thereof or in substitution therefor, and maintained in proper repair. 5. (1) No person sljall make or light any fire in the open air within the city, nor shall the occupier of any premises suffer any fire to be lit thereon in the open air, without the special permission in writing of the Superintendent of the Wellington Fire Brigade. (2) No such permitted fire shall be lit within 10 ft. from any building, fence, street, public place, or adjoining premises. (3) Save as provided in clause 2 of this part of this by-law, no person shall make or light any fire in the open air or permit any fire to remain alight on premises under his control in the open air within the city between the hours of sunset and sunrise nor at any time on Sunday. (4) Every permit to light fires issued under this clause shall specify the number of days on which permission is given to light a fire on any premises, save that where on any premises an incinerator of a type and situation approved by the Superintendent is used, the permit may authorize the intermittent use of such incinerator over a period not exceeding one year. 6. (1) In this clause " chimney " includes any flue, smoke-vent, or stovepipe. (2) Every person who shall wilfully set or cause to be set on fire any chimney shall be guilty of an offence against this by-law. (3) The occupier of any building or premises within the City whereon or wherein any chimney shall become foul or catch fire shall be guilty of an offence against this by-law. (4) No person shall use any chimney for the purpose of, or in connection with, any smithy, furnace, foundry, or factory unless the top of such chimney shall be properly covered with iron gauze or net-work capable of preventing the escape of dangerous sparks. 7. No person shall carry fire in the city unless such fire be placed or covered in some close or secure metal vessel of incombustible material. 8. No occupier of any premises shall deposit or keep or suffer to be deposited or kept any live cinders or live ashes, whether within or without any building, save in a receptacle constructed of cast iron or other equally incombustible material. 9. No person shall place in any rubbish receptacle or include in any rubbish sent or intended to be sent to any refuse-destructor of the Corporation any cinematograph films, celluloid, or any other explosive or highly inflammable material whatsoever. 10. (1) No person shall place, keep, store, or suffer to remain in the open air within the city, any hay, corn, straw, or other agricultural produce belonging to the class of cereals at a distance of less than 20 ft. from any building, fence, street, private street, or public place, or adjacent land, and if such materials are kept such intervening space shall to the extent of 20 ft. in all directions from the stack be always kept free from all rubbish, refuse, or other obstructions. (2) No person shall place or keep or store any hay or straw in any building within the city, attached to or at a less distance than 20 ft. from any other building, unless the roof of such firstmentioned building is covered with 24-gauge corrugated iron or best quality slates, and its walls are constructed wholly of brick, stone, or concrete, or of any combination of such materials, or any of them. (3) The provisions of the last preceding subclause shall not apply to the keeping or storing of any such agricultural produce required for the keeping of horses and stored in any building used only for the bona fide purpose of, or in connection with, a stable, the storing capacity of which building shall not exceed 3,000 cubic feet; nor to the use as an agricultural produce store of any building actually occupied and used as an agricultural produce store on the first day of November, 1913, and continuously since that date. •

Interpretation.

Fires in streets, &c.

Setting off explosives.

Fires in buildings to be lit only in properly constructed fireplaces.

No fire to be lit in open air without special permission.

As to fires in chimneys.

Against carrying fire. Live cinders and ashes.

Rubbish not to contain inflammable substance.

Storage of hay, &c.

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11. The occupier of any premises shall not permit any timber or firewood to be stacked or stored in any yard on such premises under his control within 5 ft. of any building, fence, street, private street, public place, or adjoining premises. 12. The occupier of any building in which goods are packed or unpacked shall before sunset on the day on which such goods are packed or unpacked, either remove from such building all empty cases, broken wood, paper, and all other combustible packing materials which are left as a result of such packing or unpacking, or shall take such measures as are reasonably necessary to prevent danger of fire by the careful storage of packing cases, and the placing of all combustible packing-materials in fireresisting bins or compartments. 13. (1) Every occupier of any premises shall take all reasonable precautions in the storage of goods to prevent or reduce to a minimum the risk that such goods may cause danger from fire, and in particular may cause or spread fire, or constitute an obstacle to the exit of persons from the premises in the event of fire, or hamper the operations of the fire brigade in the event of fire on the premises. (2) If upon any premises, in the opinion of an Inspector, any goods are so stored as to create a substantial risk that such goods may cause danger from fire, the Inspector may give the occupier of such premises notice in writing requiring such occupier within a reasonable time, therein limited, to take such steps as the Inspector may in such notice prescribe, to prevent or reduce to a minimum the risk aforesaid, whether by removal of such goods from the premises, or by alteration in the method of storage thereof, or otherwise. (3) Any occupier making default in complying with such notice shall be guilty of an offence against this by-law. 14. (1) Every occupier of any premises within the city shall, with respect to any business or manufacturing operations carried on in the premises, and the fitting up, use, and maintenance of any electrical equipment in the premises, and the construction, situation, and control of any open flame, light, fire, or heating equipment in the premises, and the maintenance of the building or of any firedoor, fire escape, and fire-fighting equipment in the premises, take all reasonable precautions to prevent danger from fire. (2) If in the opinion of an Inspector the occupier of any premises has failed to take all such reasonable precautions, the Inspector may give such occupier notice in writing requiring such occupier within a reasonable time, therein limited, to take such steps as the Inspector may in such notice require by way of precautions to prevent danger from fire. (3) Any occupier making default in complying with such notice shall be guilty of an offence against this by-law. 15. If any broom, gorse, bushes, scrub, dry grass, or other like growth on any land, shall become, or be likely to become by reason of its overgrowth a source of danger from fire, and notice, in writing, to that effect shall be given by an Inspector to the owner or occupier of such land requiring him to cut down and remove or eradicate such broom, gorse, bushes, scrub, dry grass, or other like growth, within a time therein limited, any such owner or occupier making default in complying with such notice shall be guilty of an offence against this by-law.

Storage of timber.

Removal of packing cases, &c.

Occupier to take precautions against fire risk.

Failing to out down gorse, &e., after notice an offence.

Approximate Cost of Paper —Preparation, not given ; printing (2,400 copies), £21 10a.

By Authority : G. H. Loney, Government Printer, Wellington.—l 933. Price 6'<2.]

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