Sessional_Paper_1897 — Page 330

HONGKONG.

REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF FIRE BRIGADE FOR 1896.

Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.

325

No. 22

97

No. 44.

FIRE BRIGADE Department,

HONGKONG, 5th February, 1897.

SIR, I have the honour to submit the following report on the Government Fire Brigade for the year 1896.

2. Commander HASTINGS was in charge of the Brigade up to the 2nd April, Mr. LETHBRIDGE had charge from that date until the 7th of October, when I returned off leave of absence.

3. There occurred 30 fires-two of which were in the harbour-and 54 incipient fires during the year. Details regarding each will be found in the annexed schedules. The estimated damage caused by the fires .was $105,595 and by the incipient fires $1,586.

I also attach a list shewing the number of fires that have occurred during each of the last ten years with the estimated value of property destroyed in each case.

4. There has been a marked diminution in the number of fires occurring on land since the third week in April last. Up to the 22nd April there were 14. fires and since that date there have been an equal number.

This is no doubt due to the action taken by the Fire Insurance Companies in instituting a Tariff which came into force in April, and increasing the rates of premium; while the conviction for arson at the May Sessions of two Chinese partners in the Shop No. 48 Praya West, and the heavy sentence of twelve years hard labour passed upon each, have evidently had a salutary effect in deterring others from incendiarism.

5. During three months of the year, from January to March, the water in the mains was turned off from 10 a.m. to 6 a.m. daily, except on an alarm of fire when it was turned on and used only till salt water was obtained.

6. A list of places where Fire Despatch Boxes are kept, and of private telephones to which the Police have courteously been granted access in the event of a fire, together with Mr. KINGHORN's report on the state of the engines, are attached.

7. With regard to the working of the Brigade of which I have now had four months' experience, I consider that while the personnel especially the European portion of it is good-the organisation is capable of improvement.

The very small number of men available for duty at the first outbreak of a fire, and the want of the means of conveying rapidly to the scene of a fire, the necessary appliances for extinguishing it, are the principal defects that I wish to remedy. Street coolies are relied on to drag the engines and appliances at the Central Fire Station to a fire, and it depends almost entirely on the alacrity of these in offering themselves for hire, whether the appliances will reach the fire in good time or otherwise.

While should the fire occur at distance from the Central Fire Station-at East or West Point for instance-it is, of course, obvious that an enormous amount of valuable time must be lost owing to the slowness with which the appliances must under such a system travel.

8. The remedy for these defects is to increase the permanent staff of the Brigade, and to enlarge the Central Fire Station to make room for such increased staff, and for more firemen who are also members of the Police Force.

I have already reported on how these improvements could be effected, and my proposals have received the approval of His Excellency the Governor.

9. Unfortunately, the enlargement of the Central Fire Station to enable the concentration I have recommended, and the provision of motive power for the heavy gear, involves the expenditure of a large sum of money; but I trust that it may nevertheless be found possible to carry out these improvements at no very distant date.

10. I have to acknowledge the very valuable assistance rendered in the extinction of fires during the year by the Private Fire Brigades belonging to the Nam Pak Hong and Silk Mercers.

The former is especially smart in turning out, and being nearer to the area within which the majority of fires occur than the Government Brigade, it is frequently the first to arrive at a fire.

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