3

H.—6a

The total number of " calls " received throughout the fire districts for 1920-21 was 1,168, as against 1,112 for 1919-20, an increase of 56, and which includes increases under the following headings : Fires, 540 (480) —increase, 60 ; chimney fires, 132 (124) —increase, 8 ; bush and rubbish fires, 226 (208) —increase, 18 ; out-of-district fires, 36 (25) —increase, 11 ; but a decrease in the number of false alarms, 275 (234) —decrease, 41. Out of the 540 actual fires 14 are reported as due to incendiarism, 9 as having occurred on unoccupied premises, and 195 as of unknown origin. Of the 540 fires, 219 occurred in dwellinghouses, 36 resulting in total loss ; 18 were damaged to the extent of from 50 to 90 per cent, of their value, 24 damaged from 25 to 50 per cent., and in the remaining 141 cases the damage ranged from slight loss to 25 per cent, of their value. Losses throughout the fire districts : The three heaviest district losses occurred in Auckland (£113,885), Christchurch (£92,692), and Oamaru (£62,205). The total loss for the twelve months ending 30th June, 1920, amounted to £394,704. The insured loss throughout the Dominion for the year ended 31st December, 1920, amounted to £452,890, and throughout the fire districts for the corresponding period the insured loss ajnounted to £327,051. Appended are the following tables : — 1. Summary of calls attended by each brigade. 2. Fire loss in each district. 3. Annual cost of each brigade. 4. Summary of the causes of fires in each district. 5. Personnel and equipment of each brigade ; also detailed reports dealing with each fire district. I have, &c, Thos. T. Hugo, The Hon. Minister of Internal Affairs, Wellington. Inspector of Fire Brigades.

1. Summary of Fire Calls.

District. Fires. Chimney Fires. Bush, Grass, Mid Rubbish Firos. False Alarms. I Out of District. Totals. Auckland Balclutha Christchureh Dannevirke Dargaville Dunedin Feilding Gisborne Greymouth Hamilton Hastings Hawera Hokitika Kaitangata Lawrence Levin Masterton Milton Napier New Plymouth Oamaru Ohakune Palmerston North Petone Port Chalmers Rotorua Taumarunui Tauranga Te Aroha Timaru Waihi Waitara Wanganui Whangarei Woolston 122 1 85 7 4 77 10 18 13 17 16 4 2 i 8 11 1 27 11 6 1 23 8 4 7 6 2 3 6 6 1 22 4 6 17 22 44 6 1 i 8 1 8 3 5 3 i 1 7 4 27 59 2 69 6 1 7 1 231 4 207 9 4 213 22 29 16 42 28 7 2 24 1 39 5 6 2 20 12 1 51 4 1 4 2 1 1 2 1 4 4 14 3 3 7 2 1 2 1 1 3 2 4 2 5 1 1 10 25 6 57 16 10 1 37 10 5 17 10 3 3 19 28 1 74 5 16 3 8 7 3 14 1 27 12 1 2 6 4 Totals 540 540 132 132 226 234 36 1,168