AUTOMATIC ALARM WAS UNSATISFACTORY

Grey River Argus, 22 April 1948, Page 5

AUTOMATIC ALARM WAS UNSATISFACTORY

Robert Martin, retired, who was on Ballantyne’s staff for 57 years and was housemaster for many .years, stated at the fire inquiry that an automatic fire alarm system was installed in 1919. It was unsatisfactory, because there were false alarms, and the indicator board was inefficient. He had strongly objected to the use of an open flame for the testing system. After he had made several complaints to the late William Ballantyne, the system was dismantled in 1928.

An electrician employed by the firm, Victor Stanley Appleyard, said that new A.C. cable, as a service main, was installed in 1936. From the time of the installation he had done no work to the service main conductors, and knew of no work on them by anyone else. Cross-examined by Mi’ W. R. Lascelles (for the City Council) Appleyard said that when electrical work was done by contractors he checked it. In his opinion, Ballantyne’s, at the time of the fire, was free from electrical hazard. Lack of Permits Admitted by Contractors Mr C. S. Luney, principal of the , Luney firm of building contractors said that, if a permit had been required for an opening that was being cut between two cellars at the time of the fire, it was his responsibility . to obtain it. He had not, however, applied for a permit so far as an opening on the first floor was concerned. It had been decided, in effect, to risk going ahead without a permit on account of the urgency of the work.

Kenneth Ballantyne, a. joint managing director of Ballantynes, gave evidence that, in view of close supervision of the building that was maintained, the presence of over sixty fire extinguishers - had been considered a sufficient precaution against fire.

To Mr E. A. Lee (for Citv Council), Ballantyne said that the firm had over sixty manual fire extinguishers and the system of looking after the building, which was never vacated, made that seem enough. The fire risk in the building was never mentioned at the meeting of the directors as being unnatural. He did not take part in discussions on the installation of a sprinkler system. “The first work I did in Ballantynes was the renovation of the' women’s shoe department in 1945. said Charles Seymour Luney, of C S. Luney. Ltd., builders an contractors, to Mr Cleary (for Ballantynes). “Brown, one of my employees,- was working in the basement of Goodmans’ building on the day of the fire. He was making an opening into the basement of Pratt’s building. No permit had been given for the work. I did not consider that the job needed a permit. I had hired a compressor from the City Council for the job. and the Muncipal Electricity Department had connected it to the power lines in Colombo Street.” Mr B. A. Barrer (for three Trade Unions): “Who is responsible for obtaining permits for the type of work you were doing?—Witness: ‘lThe customary practice is for the contractor to formally lodge plans and uplift a permit. * So if a permit. was necessary for the job in the basement, it was your responsibility to obtain it?” —Yes. It was the joint decision by himself and Mr G. T. Lucas, architect, to make an opening on the first floor without a permit, Luney told Mr Lee. Had a permit been sought, it was not anticipated that the City Council would have obstructed it. So far as he knew, it was not proposed to' erect a fire door for the opening being made between the basements. He believed that the Assistant City Engineer (Mr A. H. Jecks) did not knovz the use to which the compressor would be put when it was borrowed. He was aware of the need of a permit for the opening of the first floor, but in view -of the urgency of the work it had, in effect, been decided to risk going ahead without a permit, said Mr Lunev. To Mr G. G. G. Watson (for the Crown). He would have applied for a permit for the opening between the cellars after the preliminary work had disclosed what was involved. He -did not agree that the preliminary work came xvithin the category of an alteration to an existing building. The whole job might have required three tons of cement.