BIG FIRE WASTE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 186, 8 August 1931, Page 9

BIG FIRE WASTE.

NEW CHECKING METHODS MORE CORONER'S INQUIRIES. I ** 'PEOPI/E TAXING- THEMSELVES' OVER A MILLION A YEAR. (By Telegraph. —Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The big waste by fire in New Zealand has caused the authorities to ado jit fresh methods to lessen it. The Hon. P. A. de la Perrelle, Minister of Internal Affairs, stated to-day that the figures showing the Dominion fire waste placed before him by the Government inspector of fire brigades, Mr. R. Girling-Butcher, made it plain that some drastic measures were necessary. It was proposed in the .future to increase the number of fire inquiries and to track down and consider the causes. "The fire losses in New Zealand," said Mr. de la Perrelle, "are remarkable and something will have to be done to check them. According to reports furnished to me, the fire losses actually paid by the insurance companies during the five years, 1926-30, amounted to £5,900,873. To this figure must be added the uninsured fire loss, which is conservatively estimated at 12J per cent of the insured loss. The total fire waste for the Dominion for the five years therefore reaches the staggering total of £6,048,482, or an average yearly expenditure of £1,350,000. The. loss figures for 1930 are slightly lower than this average, but the information received by the inspector, of fire brigades for the first six months of this year indicates that, apart altogether from the enormous fire loss due to the earthquake in Hawke's Bay, the lose for the present year will be considerably higher. Costs 18/ per Head. "The Government is greatly concerned at the persistence of this high fire loss figure, which amounts to 18/ per head of population, and, as far as can be ascertained, has the unenviable distinction of being the highest amount per head of any country where accurate statistics are kept. It must be recognised that fire loss, even though covered by insurance, is a national loss, and absorbs capital which is badly needed for both public and private purposes. "In 1929 a committee consisting of representatives of Government Departments and the insurance companies was set up to consider the fire waste problem. This committee brought down an excellent report, but the remedial measures suggested involved a considerable expenditure, and nothing further has been done owing to the difficulty in raising the necessary finance. Proposals involving a greatly-reduced expenditure have now been prepared by my Department. These provide for the co-opera-tion of the Police, Justice and State Fire Departments with the inspector of fire brigades and the insurance companies. The cost of the work will be divided between the insurance companies and the Departments mentioned, and in this connection I (lesire to thank the Council of Fire Underwriters for the assistance, both financial and otherwise, that they have arranged to. provide.

Fire-Prevention "Drive." "It is proposed to inaugurate a fireprevention 'drive' throughout the country, and as the first step in the programme it has been decided to increase greatly the number of coronial inquiries held into fires. The inspector of fire brigades, acting under the powers of the Fire Brigades Act, will obtain from every fire board superintendent an immediate report on any fire where there are suspicious circumstances indicating incendiarism. I am also appealing to other local authorities controlling fire brigades requesting them to co-operate with the Department in this matter and to arrange for their fire superintendents to make similar reports. Coronial inquiries will also be held into any fires where the circumstances indicate that information will be obtained which will be of value in connection with the prevention or suppression of fires.

"The Police Department normally makes inquiries into every fire, and the police will be requested to make more detailed investigations into all suspicious fires, whether occurring in fire brigade districts or in non-protected areas. The police reports will be considered jointly by the Commissioner of Police, the inspector of fire brigades and the general manager of the State Fire Department (representing the insurance interests). Where it is considered that the circumstances warrant this action, the case will be submitted to the Justice Department with a request that the coroner consider the holding of an inquiry. Incendiarism and Carelessness. "Expert investigation shows that the cause of practically all fires can be divided into three main groups —incendiarism, carelessness and accident. The knowledge that coronial inquiries will be held into all suspicious fires should act as a very definite check on incendiarism. The second fire cause, that of carelessness, is responsible for by far the greater proportion of the total fire loss, and is at the same time the most difficult factor to overcome. While civic and public activity can help in _ the elimination of fire risks, in the main it is 'John Citizen' and his family—who cause these fires—who canlprevent them, and I appeal to the general public to give this matter most careful consideration. It is most desirable that something in the nature of a national conscience on the question should be created, so that a man who has a fire from other than purely accidental causes should be regarded as having failed in good citizenship. "Complaints are made on every hand about the Government's excessive taxation; here in the Dominion fire waste we have a taxation of over a million pounds a year, mostly imposed by the citizens on themselves. It is most necessary to bring home, to the public, first, - that the fire loss is mainly due to care-1 lessness, secondly, that even though loss is insured it is nevertheless loss, and thirdly that any reduction in fire loss, due to greater public care or fire prevention activity, is not merely a gain to the insurance companies, but to the general public. Through the State Fire Office the Government has a great measure of control over the insurance position, and can ensure that any reduction in fire loss is passed 011 to the public through reduction in insurance! rates. Good Business. "I would ask for the co-operation of all local authorities, fire brigades, cham-' bers of commerce and other business or- i ganisations, as much of the necessary work can only be done by community action. Very little consideration will show that fire prevention activity, particularly. at the present time, is good > business."