N.Z. FIRES

Grey River Argus, 10 August 1931, Page 5

N.Z. FIRES

£6,648,482 IN FIVE YEARS Stringent Preventative Plans (Per Press WELLINGTON, August <B. Big w:. byfire in? New Zpalaud ha- caused the to- adopt flesh method.' tu lessen i'. Mi' de la Ferrclle (Minister of Internal •Affairs) staled to-day that figures showing the Dominion’s fire waste' were placed before him by the Government Inspector of Fire Brigades, Air Girling Butcher. These made it plain that some drastic measures were neccs .ary. Mr de la Perrelle said thab according ?o the reports, the fire losses actually paid by the insurance companies during the five years 1926 — 1930 amou ) f To I his figure must be added the uninsured fire los.s which wag conservatively estimated :i( 12/ per cent, of the insured loss. r ri’.e to'al fire waste for the Dominion for the. five years, therefore,, reached Hie staggering total of £6.643,482, o< an average yeaj-l.y expenditure of £1.350,000. The 10-s figures for 1930 were slightly lower than this. ’c ved the Inspector of Fire Brigades for the first six months of this year indicated ( ‘hat, apart altogether from the enor-i mous fire loss, due to .the earthquake ■ in Iluwko’s Bay, the loss for the pre- • sent year would bo considerably higher than i-' 1 1929. A committee consisting of representatives of Government De- i partmonts and the insurance companies was set up to consider the lire waste problem. The CommFto.c brought down an excellent report, but the remedial measures suggested involved considerable expenditure, and nothing further had been done, owing to the. difficulty of raising rhe necessary finance. Proposals involving a greatlyi educed expenditure wore now beiag prepared by the Interna] Affairs De partment. provide for the cooperation of 'he Police, -Tusticc, and State Fire Departments, with the Inspector of Fire Brigades, and the Insurance Companies Arrangement, had keen made that the cost of the work f’hnuld he divided between the insurance companies and the Departments mentioned. It was proposed to inaugurate a fire prevention 4 'drive” throughnnt tho country, and a? tli? first step ’n the programme, it had hern decided to increase greatly the number of eoronial inquiries hold Into fires. The Inspector of Fire Brigades, acting under the powers of the Fir? Brigades Act. w : li ob'aln from every Fire Board Superintendent in imme diatc -report on any fi’o where there are suspicionq e’rcuin?tancos. indicating incendiarism.