THE SCHOOL FIRE.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 3340, 8 September 1917, Page 2

THE SCHOOL FIRE.

SUSPECTED INCENDIARISM AT WANGANUI.

In its report; of the destruction of the Queen's Park school at Wanganui yesterday, the Chronicle says: — The Education Board held the risk on the old portion of the building, the remainder being covered by insurance totalling £1000. In 1905 two rooms in the eastern wing of the building were burned. There are reasons for the suspicion of 'incendiarism. It appears that on Monday last, when the charwoman left the Avenue school, everything was in order. On returning at 4 o'clock on Tuesday, however, on entering one of the rooms she found it had been ransacked. The drawers in the master's table had been forced open and lockers had been-entered. The contents had been placed *m top of the table and set fire to, tho [charred remains being found. On entering a second room the same state of affairs existed, while in a third room the contents of the drawers and lockers had been placed in the centre of the floor and set alight. Fortunately, no further damage was done, beyond charring the woodwork.

On the following-day when a visit wa s paid to the infants' school near St. John's Hill, the gas : ring in one room was discovered alight. How long it had been burning no one knows, but it was certain that it had not been set alight, after tho school had broken up for the week's holidays. It was rumoured yesterday that some boys had been seen near the Queen's Park School prior to the fire, and the police are making every effort to account for the outbreak.