Fire-Brigade Matters.
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News contrthutions are inrited: payment wild be made on pub/ication.
H arrogate's new motor fire-engine has been taken over by its purchasers.
Walthamstow U.D.C. has not yet decided what motor fire-engine to buy.
Belfast has chosen Morris fireeugines, and three of this make are to he ordered.
The new Dennis catalogue naturally bas something to sa.y about fire-engines and one page is devoted entirely to illustrations of some of the types now in service all over the world.
Demonstration at. Worthing.
The, Mayor of Worthing, Councillor .1. G. Denton, presided at a public display nith the Dennis engine, at Beach House Park, Worthing, on Monday of last week. The demonstration was under the direction of Chief Officer Collett, and the Mayor gave a dinner in the evening.
Halley Engines Tested at Leith.
Leith Corporation has been testing its two new Halley fire-engines, and lias been giving a demonstration to Scottish fire-masters and representatives from other Scottish burghs. A deep-lift test was made at the Albert (raving Dock, and, a speed test had areviously taken place between Ohisgow and Edinburgh—at 45 m.p.h.
Orders Go To Manchester, John Morris and Sons. Ltd., has laced to its credit, during October, orders for the following motor fireengines : Belfast, 3; Brighouse, 1 ; Merthyr-Tydfil, 1; Lanark County, 1 Pretoria, 1; Kimberley, 1. Three of tile machines will he fitted with 100 h.p. six-cylinder engines and 500gallon " Ajax " turbine pumps, whilst the other five will have 70 h.p. fourcylinder engines and 350-gallon pumps. One of these vehicles is to be province' with an 85 ft. " Ajax " turn-table fireladder with water-tower apparatus. Vienna's Fire-brigade : Some Forty Vehicbss in Service. Our Berlin correspondent writes :— " Very few of your readers will probably be prepared for the statement that Vienna's municipal fire-brigade possesses nearly 40 mechanicallypropelled machines. In this respect Vienna has outstripped the Prussian capital, since Berlin, according to the report for the year ended 31st March, 1910, has no more than 24, eight of them being cars. Vienna's rolling stock comprises various classes of vehicles, amongst them being eight gasengines, six steam-pumps, three revolving escapes, four telescopic ladders, and a number of tenders for firemen am" equipment. Commander Muffler, moreover, taking two sets of four vehicles each as a basis of cornparistm, is able to demonstrate that the annual cost of working and maintaining a mechanically-propelled set amounts to 12,870.60 crowns, as against 21,966,28 crowns for a horsedrawn sat. In other words, there is a saving of 9,095,68 crowns per annum where four horse-drawn vehicles are
replaced by the mechanically-propelled type adopted by Vienna. Roughly converted into British currency, on the above given basis of comparison, a saving of £373 per annum is effected. 'This economy is, of course, very gratifying; bat, to my mind, too Much stress is usually laid on mere economic! results. A fire brigade lies outside the commercial pale, and those responsible for its organization are morally bound to raise its efficiency to the highest point at all reasonable costs. The question at issue is not, How much can he saved ? but how best can life and property be protected against fire? Hence, municipalities are under au obligation to the citizens to adopt the most-efficient machinery for combating fire, even though new methods and apparatus should involve a greater outlay of money. Automobiles might, under certain conditions, lay the ratepayers under heavier contributions; yet, if they prove to be more effective than horse-drawn vehicles, the extra expense should be ungrudgingly borne. But to hark back to Vienna: All these fire-brigade vehicles are elec.. tromobiles, their chassis, fitted with Lohner-Porsche motors built round the front hubs, having come from the shops of the Austrian Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft, which concern was recently re-constructed as a. limited liability company, with power to double its share-capital. I understand, by the nay, that the London brigade has now on order three elec.tromobilea with the same type of chassis. Notwithstanding their weight, Vienna's electroniobiles can travel over level roads at a speed as high as 30 miles an hour. Such a rate. of travelling is, naturally, a sheer impossibility for a team of horses even over a short distance; and, where the fire lies at a great distance from the station, the advantages are enormous.