13

H.—6a,

tendent's office, watch-room, loose-boxes, and various workshops, large gymnasium, and six sets of quarters for married men, &c. A new 75 h.p. combined hose and chemical motor has recently been imported, and is now in commission. During the year just ended ninety-one calls have been attended by the brigade : they include fifty actual fires, or twenty-five less than during the previous year. The fire loss amounted to £22,782, as compared with £30,987, a decrease of £8,205. The estimated cost of the brigade for the year 1912-13 is £6,500, the same as for 1911-12.

FEILDING. Two inspections of the Feilding Fire Brigade and its equipment have been made —viz., on the 29th August, 1911, and the 15th and 16th January, 1912. At the first inspection there were present the Superintendent, Deputy, fourteen firemen, and one messenger, that with one on duty, one sick, and two on leave, accounted for twenty-one out of a total strength of twenty-three then on the roll. A number of test drills were carried out: some considerable time was lost in getting the first delivery to work, but the remainder of the drills were performed in a fairly satisfactory manner. The following report covers the second inspection : — " Sir, — " 26th January, 1912. " Following upon my inspection of the Feilding Fire Brigade and its station and equipment on the 15th and 16th instant, I have the honour to submit the following for the consideration of your Board :— " At the inspection muster at 8.5 p.m. on the 15th there was present Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, and sixteen firemen, that with one absent on duty accounted for nineteen out of a total strength of twenty-one then on the roll —a satisfactory attendance. " A turnout of the hose-reel and a subsequent dry-hose drill was smartly, with the exception that one of the stand-pipes could not be shipped. A later examination proved the .fault due to the lugs at the foot of the stand-pipe being too thick to allow of them, catching under the lips of the hydrant: this has since been remedied. "A test of the water-pressure was made directly off the main in Hobson Street that registered 95, and off the large main in Kimbolton Road that registered 98; also a series of experiments were carried out for the purpose of illustrating the loss of pressure caused by the addition of lengths, &c. " Ihe station and appliances are maintained in good order and condition. " The brigade require a two-into-one union or collecting-piece. Some of the stand-pipes are so short in the shank that it is impossible to ship them in some of the deeper-seated hydrants, and these should be lengthened to a uniform length of 24 in.; also, some of the nozzles are not of good design, and as a consequence, instead of a solid jet being projected some considerable distance, the column of water breaks or sprays at a short distance from the nozzle : this is a matter that seriously affects the efficient work of the brigade, and nozzles of a better design should be obtained. " In Feilding, as elsewhere, I notice a number of verandahs having all-glass roofs, some recently erected : such verandahs prove at times dangerous obstacles to firemen, and I would recommend your Board should suggest to the Borough Council the advisability of passing a by-law making it compulsory on the part of any person in the future erecting an all-glass-top verandah to provide a gangway along the whole length directly under the first-floor windows, not less than 2 ft. in width, with a solid panel 2 ft. wide running from the street-edge to the said gangway at both ends of the verandah. A similar by-law is working satisfactorily elsewhere. " I have, &c, " Thos. T. Hugo, " Inspector of Fire Brigades." During the past year nine fires have occurred in the district, or two more than in the previous year. The fire loss amounted to £3,706, compared with £1,236 for the previous year, an increase of £2,470. The estimated cost of the brigade for the year 1912—13 is £600, as against £590 for 1911-12, an increase of £10.

GISBORNE. Two inspections of the Gisborne Fire Brigade and its equipment have been held —viz 12th and 13th October, 1911, and 19th and 20th February, 1912. At the first inspection there were present the Superintendent, Deputy, seventeen firemen, and two cadets, that with four on leave accounted for twenty-five out of a total strength of twentysix then on the roll. Various test drills were carried out, and for the purpose of testing the time required to obtain water under pressure from the auxiliary fire-mains the stationary-engine fire was lit at 7.58 p.m., and a pressure of 75 Ib. was recorded on the steam-gauge at 8.12-15 p.m. A fair pressure was shown when the water was turned on from a stand-pipe shipped at the corner of Gladstone Road and Peel Street. During the progress of a fire that occurred on the night of the 14th October in Aberdeen Road I noted that the brigade had no lamps available; also that a considerable amount of the water-pressure was being lost owing to defective packing and washers on the stand-pipe them being used.