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FEILDING. An inspection of the Feilding Brigade was made, on the 15th April, 1919. The following report covers tho inspection : — Sir,-— 2nd May, 1919. An inspection of the Feilding Fire Brigade and its equipment was made on the, 15th April last, when at the inspection muster there were present the Superintendent, Deputy, and. thirteen firemen ; these, with one on leave, accounting for sixteen out of a total strength of eighteen. Various drills, wet and dry, were carried out in a satisfactory manner. The motor hose-tender worked well, and the station and equipment were in good order. In one or two of the side streets 1 noticed that some of the, street hydrants were more or less covered over with, debris ; they should be kept clear. For the, safety of the firemen in case of fire I recommended some time ago that gangways should be fixed on the all-glass verandas in front of a number of the business premises in Feilding, but up to the present nothing has been done in that direction. I have, &c, Thos. T. Hugo, Alex. Geary, Esq., Secretary, Fire Board, Feilding. Inspector of Fire Brigades. During tin- year five fires occurred in the district, an increase of one over the preceding year. The (ire loss for 1918-19 amounted to £148, as against £186 for 1917-18, a decrease of £38. GREYMOUTH. An inspection of the Greymouth Brigade was made on the 7th and Bth February, 1919, and in that connection the following report was forwarded to the Secretary of the Board :■ Sir,— 20th February, 1919. Following upon an inspection of the Greymouth Fire Brigade, its stations and equipment, made on the, 7th and Bth instant, I submit the following for the consideration of your Board :— At the inspection muster there wee present the Deputy Superintendent and sixteen firemen ; these, with the Superintendent absent through sickness and one man on leave, accounted for the full strength then on the roll —viz., nineteen all told. The central and hose-reel stations with, their equipments were in good order and condition. Having tested one length of the new hose, I consider it to be of fairly good quality, and. would advise that the remaining 300 ft. of tho 500 ft. originally ordered be purchased at the price, paid for the first 200 ft. The sinking of the experimental well at Blaketown, which was started about nine months ago, is not yet completed. At the time of my visit it was low water and there was only about 1 ft. of water in the bottom of the well, which is now some 16 ft. deep ; therefore it will be necessary to sink it another couple of feet. After the already long delay, and as it only means a few hours' work, it should be taken in hand at once. A matter to which I consider it necessary to direct the serious attention of your Board is the present unreliable condition of the water-supply for fire-extinction purposes. First, in respect to the supply of water to the pumps supplying the reservoir, this is drawn from what is now merely a very small backwater of the river that a rising bank of shingle is gradually circumscribing, and which may bo entirely closed up at any time as a result of one of the many recurring floods. Then, as to the pumping installation : At the present time, to keep the supply of water in the reservoir at its normal height, it is necessary to keep, both sets of pumps running for some sixteen hours daily, though the foundations of these arc insecure and sinking ; a casual glance at the machinery when in motion is sufficient to show how badly some of the shafting is out of alignment." Secondly, in respect,to the auxiliary system of supply as provided for the steam fire-engine: The more particular points of supply in connection with this system are the two suction-pipes laid under the wharf ; but upon testing the pipe situated opposite Tainui Street by means of priming it from a street hydrant the water leaked out of the, pipe nearly as fast as it was put in, and. as, according to my information, the foot-valve is in good order and perfectly tight, it points to either a badly defective joint or a fracture in the piping ; in any case, as at present it is useless for fire purposes. In respect to the, second pipe, situated opposite Boundary Street, it is unget-at-able, being entirely buried in the railwayline road-metal. Altogether, the water-supply for fin; purposes in Greymouth is in a most unsatisfactory state, and to the extent that very serious, oven disastrous, loss may occur at any time in consequence, and the whole matter should receive immediate attention, in the meantime, particularly seeing it is neither a long nor expensive job, the two suction-pipes should be put in workingorder at once. I have, &c, Thos. T. Hugo, F. Barrowman, Esq., Secretary, Fire Board, Greymouth. Inspector of Fire Brigades. The time has arrived when the brigade should be provided with some better means of transport, and a recommendation has been made that a 1-ton chassis be purchased, and a body to suit local requirements built thereon. Hight fires occurred in the district during the year, as against thirteen during the preceding year. The fire loss for 1918-19 was £152, as compared with £3,003 for 1917-18, a decrease of £2,851.