[May 9, 1918 – Auckland Star] On Tuesday evening last nine of the eleven members comprising the Mt. Albert volunteer fire brigade announced their resignation from the brigade, the two remaining men being Mr. F. Marter. the captain, and a member who performed the duties of turncock in the borough. The Mayor of Mount Albert (Mr E. Clay) and the chairman of the Fire Brigade Committee (Mr F. H. Harrison), on receiving notice of the resignations, immediately made arrangements with the Deputy-Mayor of Mount Eden to have the Mount Eden Fire Brigade attend fires in the Mount Albert borough pending the re-establishment of the Mount Albert Brigade. The Mount Albert Brigade captain has also engaged four or five auxiliaries to act in cases of emergency.
Seen respecting the matter, Mr. Clay stated that the Council had passed a rule, during Mr. M. J. Coyle’s term of mayoralty, that members of the fire brigade should not be allowed to take liquor into the social hall of the brigade, except by the express permission of the Council.
A little time back a friend of some members of the brigade had offered a prize of a gold medal and a barrel of beer for competition, and the members had asked permission to have the beer taken to the social room, where the brigade members intended having an “evening” at which the competition respecting the medals was to be considered. Mr. Clay refused permission, and when a deputation from the brigade attended the Council meeting on Monday night to renew the request for permission to hold the meeting and have the beer in on Tuesday evening, the Council unanimously confirmed the Mayor’s action, and declined the brigade’s request.
One of the resigning members states that the meeting of the brigade was held on Tuesday evening, not at the brigade station, at which the medal and the beer were discussed with incidental discussion respecting the Council’s decision.
The discussion also included a proposal to amend rules governing the billiard room, which amendments the brigade members thought were intended more for the councillors’ convenience than the men’s, and the proposals were turned down.
The men concluded by giving notice of resignation as stated.