THE FIRE BRIGADE.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 227, 27 November 1888, Page 2

THE FIRE BRIGADE.

The members of the Brigade got very unfairly treated on Saturday evening, and came in for a good deal of ridicule from those whom it would not have been expected, excepting of course that they were aware of the circumstances. Still this sort of banter, although it may be good naturedly given, has a tendency to mislead people and to bring ths objects of it into a degree of contempt. The truth is that on Saturday night the Brigade performed a feat which could not have been surpassed by many other brigades in the colony. It is no child’s-play for any number of men to have tn drag the manual engine a distance of a mile, and especially with people jeering at them. Two members of the Brigade'had to remain on duty at McFarlane’s Hall, and one or two members were absent, so that the men had a rough time of it. But in emergencies of this kind there should be some better means of reaching the scene of a fire, The Council has a horse nt its own, but it js not available to the Brigade just when it would be of great service. Fortunately, it is only in very rare instances that such assistance is required, but those solitary instances may lead to disastrous results, which should if possible be avoided, think that these matters might be satisfactorily arranged to prevent in the future any such cause for dissatisfaction either on the part of the general public or of the members of the Brigade. While on the subject, it has been mentioned to us that one active member of the Brigade is at present not a resident of Gisborne, nor does bis business require that hs should often be in town. No matter wbat such a member’s qualifications may be, it is hardly right that his name should be retained on the active members’ list unless he can attend to the duties. If a person has been in the Brigade for a considerable period, it may seem hard that he should be excluded, but if the body is to retain its popularity it must also retain its efficiency, and members that may not be able to be always at hand should be put on an honorary list.