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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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