“FIRM’S WORKERS NOT SAFEGUARDED” FIRE ALLEGATION

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22648, 27 May 1948, Page 6

“FIRM’S WORKERS NOT SAFEGUARDED” FIRE ALLEGATION

p. v.) CHRISTCHURCH, May 2f> Evidence to the royal commission inquiring into Ballantyne’s fire on November IS was given yesterday by several employees of the firm and by two persons who had been shonping inside the building. All witnesses were called by Mr. B. A. Barrer, who appears for (hrec trades unions. Mr Barrer said he was acting for some 20 estates of persons killed in the tire and for four women employees who were injured. “We say that the management of 3aliantyne*s failed in five specific matters tc discharge their onus to safeguard their employees,” said Mr. Barrer. “They failed to call the Fire Brigade with reasonable promptitude. They failed to have any proper organisation or to take any reasonable steps to evacuate the staff and the public when an emergency became apparent. "Premises Not Reasonably Safe” “Thirdly, we submit that they failed to provide their employees with reasonably safe premises in which to work. The fourth point is that the management failed to provide a satisfactory fire alarm system or warning device. “The fifth, which relates to the Factories Act. is that we say that parts of Ballantyne's were a factory within the meaning of the Act and that the management failed to provide a fire escape adjacent to the factory as required by the Act.” Lorna Ethel Mott, married woman, who was employed in the shirt workroom on the second floor of Pratt s building, said that when she heard the fire engines she looked at the clock which showed 3.48 p.m. “I went upstairs and looked down the fire escape About six feet down there was heavy grey-brown smoke. I j heard a man say: ‘Give us a hand with this girl.’ “That made me think that it was our building which was on fire, so I ran back and told the girls. When I went to go down the mercery stairs I saw Mr Hudson at the top of the stairs and asked him if I could cot down. He said yes. but sounded as though he did not know whether to say yes or no for the best. Forced Back by Smoke on Stairs “I followed him down the stairs but started to cough and choke with smoke so I ran back. I told the girls about the smoke on the stairs and then went out through the tailoring department and cafeteria. I saw no flames until I was outside the building.” Another employee in the shirt workroom. Joan Patricia Simons, married woman, said that when Mrs. Mott said Ballantync's was on fire she ana other girls got. excited and wondered how they could get out. When the power went off she looked at the clock and saw that it was 4.58 p.m. About then Mr. Hamel, shirt workroom supervisor, who had gone to investigate the fire, returned and said: “Out' you all go, but don’t panic-’ _ Kathleen Lanauze, also of the shirt workroom, said that after Mrs. Mott had reported that there was a fire, Mr. Hamel went to investigate. When he returned he said that it was only a minor fire in the furnishing department and that it was under control. He went out again and returned to order the girls out. Followed Crowd and Reached Safety Witness tried to go do*-n the mercery stairway but she was hit in the face by the heat and smoke. She could see no one but heard a man sayu “Don’t come down this way, girls. She did not know of the way out through the tailoring department and just followed the crowd. Witness agreed with the two previous witnesses that the suggestion that Mr. Hamer had left the girls was untrue. Another member of the shirt workroom staff Dawn Taylor, gave evidence similar to that of the previous witnesses Elsie Smith, Married, Cheviot, who was shopping in Christchurch on the day of the fire, said she saw a fire engine go to Ballantync's._ She looked at two clocks both of which showed the time to be 3.58 p.mShe walked up to Ballantyne s ana went in to collect a parcel she had bought in the morning. Shopping ivas continuing and she saw no attempts made to order evacuation. She went to the women’s shoe department where there was a great deal of smoke. _ The commission adjourned until today.