3

H.—6a

Considerably more than half the population protected by the brigades of the Dominion are resident in the thirty-five constituted fire districts, with the reasonable assumption that the value of the property at risk in the said districts is in the same or even higher ratio, and the returns prove that the efficiency of the fire-prevention work during the past twelve months of the brigades operating under the Fire Board system of control has been very satisfactory. 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 short detailed reports dealing with each fire district. I have, &c, Thos. T. Hugo, Inspector of Fire Brigades. The Hon. Minister of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

1. Summary of Fire Calls.

District. Fires. Chimney i Fires. Bush, Grass, and Rubbish Fires. False Alarms. Out of District. 8 7 Totals. 240 1 268 5 10 184 11 Auckland .. Balclutha .. Christchurch Dannevirke. . Dargaville .. Dunedin Feilding Foxton Gisborne Grreymouth.. 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 .. •• I * • i 136 1 82 3 8 61 7 2,5 5 17 15 13 3 2 1 2 11 -3 12 8 6 2 26 6 4 10 5 2 4 13 4 2 29 3 14 66 47 3 2 1 3 3 1 2 3 7 3 1 1 2 5 1 1 1 1 5 27 27 1 2 23 3 1 5 1 1 i 4 55 86 1 53 1 4 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 'i I i *3 32 7 29 20 16 4 3 1 4 19 6 25 9 10 3 38 9 7 19 6 3 6 23 33 2 61 5 3 1 1 3 6 1 1 2 1 l 1 2 1 9 8 20 17 1 7 1 Totals 531 531 173 173 148 244 23 1,119