POLICE CRITICISED

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 50, 22 November 1932, Page 11

POLICE CRITICISED

Commissioner & Inquiry CAUSE OF A FIRE 'Long; Delay, Says Coroner (OPINIONS ON INSURANCE Dominion Special Service. Marton, Nov. 21. Tn delivering his finding on a flro which occurred in the dwelling of G. T. Avery, Follett Street, Marton, on a September 30, the District Coroner, Mr. F. C. Wilson, criticsedi the Com- . missibner of Police, saying that the delay in holding the inquiry was unnecessary. He also spoke against the practice of some insurance companies Un accepting valuations on property without check or question. Mr. Wilson found that the tire was designedly and wilfully caused by Mrs. Myra Beatrice Avery. .“As this is the first inquest on the eause of.afire that has taken place hereabouts within a number of years,” said the coroner, “and there have been few in New Zealand, and because I am aware that such inquiries will in future be much more frequent in the Dominion,, and further because there has been grievous delay in holding this inquiry, I think it advisable and proper tb remark upon the reason for the delay. I waited patiently for some time with no result, then after persistent ihquiry I found that the report I wanted was in the hands of the Commissioner. I then appointed a day, November 10, for an inquiry and issued a summons for ' the Commissioner to attend' and produce the report. “Within an hour or so after lodging the summons, for service I was asked to withdraw it. I assented on the understanding .that the matter would proceed without further delay. Within, a day I received the report, and since then there has not been unavoidable delay. .... ....■., ■ ~ . “Hindrance and Annoyance.” “If the Commissioner of Police had not taken upon himself to assume the duties of coroner and the matter had been left in the hands of local police officers this inquest would have been held five or six weeks ago and Mr. and Mrs. Avery saved much discomfort and expense. One of the privileges of the police is to assist people whenever they can. In the present instance, owing to want of knowledge or blundering on the part of the Commissioner, the department has beta a hindrance and an annoyance. I regret it exceedingly and trust that nothing similar will again occur.” • Tijo coroner stated that from the conclusion to be. arrived at regarding the cause of the fire was' that it was attributable to direct human agency. “This,” he continued, “together with the fact that the only person in the house that afternoon before the occurrence of the fire was Mrs. Avery compels me to say that the fire .was designedly and wilfully caused by Mrs. Avery. ■Search For a Motive. “I have thought a good deal as to whether the coroner ought to attempt to seek a motive for such an act, and I have concluded that though the evidence as to the motive may be tendered and accepted, a decision by a coroner: on the matter is beyond the scope of the inquiry. Nevertheless, in the course of the evidence tendered in this casea good deal has been said with reference to the ‘financial difficulties,’ ‘valuation of properties’ and ‘over Insurance.’ “It has been suggested that Mrs. Avery may have been to some extent tempted by the • ‘over insurance’ of the properties. The evidence goes to show to some extent that such properties were over-insured, but it should be borne in mind that the values were not only not of Mrs. Avery’s proposal, but had been standing for years, and that if such over-values were an inducement for Mrs. Avery’s unfortunate act, then the insurance company, having long accepted such values without check or. question, encouragetl if it did not correctly connive at Mrs. Avery’s action. Temptation to' Crime. “The practice of some insurance companies accepting whatever value is named in the proposal, together with the premium, of course, and then rejecting such a value because.of some condition that was. not disclosed till some time after, is a close cousin to obtaining money by a false pretence, as well as being a temptation to crime. But it is supported by a law, which is equally reprehensible.” The coroner added the following riders:— - (1) That the Commissioner of Police «t once issue orders to police officers to observe the same procedure, as far as applicable, in the case of fires as In cases of sudden' death. (2) That in view of the possible temptation to* persons whose property may bo over-insured to commit a crime of arson or incendiarism it is desiiable that. legislation be passed to render the insurance . companies undisputabiy liable to pay the assured full amount accepted in the proposal for Insurance, in the case of complete destruction or In case of partial destruction, such proportion of sucli assured as shall be determined by arbitration in the usual way.