RONGOTAI FIRE

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25607, 23 September 1948, Page 6

RONGOTAI FIRE

MR FRASER PRAISES POLICE WORK

EVIDENCE OF EXPERTS DISCOUNTED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 22. “No case that remains tor the moment undetected has been dropped," said the Prime Minister (Mr P. Fraser) speaking to the police vote in the House of Representatives on Tuesday evening. In spite of the evidence of experts on the question of spontaneous combustion being responsible for the Rongotai wool fire, the police had nev..- let up, and after 18 months bad tracxed down the culprits. “Inquiries will go on in the Marie West case.” Mr Fraser said, replying to Mr J. R. Marshall (Opposition, Mount Victoria). Doctors and specialists had at the inquest put forward the theory of self-strargulation. not the police. He did not want to make any excuses at all. but whoever was in charge of the search for the body did not carry out his job. On the other hand it could not be said that the body was placed where it was found after the crime had been committed.

Mr Fraser said ne hoped that whoever was responsible for the Wilkins murder would eventually be found. “There have been a number of cases in the country in the last year where difficult crimes to solve have been cheeted home,” said Mr Fraser. The record of the detective force was second to none over the last 40 years or longer. The Marie West case was exceptional in the history of police work.