THE HOT LAKES CHRONICLE AND Tourists' Journal. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1896.

Hot Lakes Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 166, 5 February 1896, Page 2

THE HOT LAKES CHRONICLE AND Tourists' Journal. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1896.

Disastrous fires attended by loss of lifu have successively occurred at llawvni, (Joroinuudol, Longburn ami Christehureb and it was not fated that this small community should escape. 80 peculiarly harrowing, lunvever, are the details here tliut wo feel it incumbent, on us to raise our voice in strong protest against tlio Condition of affairs under which such a catastrophe as that chronicled in another column could arise It has beeu made quite evident that the house in which the, hre occurred was totally unprovided with any efficient means of escape in such an emergency. The stairway, the only means of communication with the uppei floor, was so narrow that it simply acted as a funnel up which the flames careered with an intensity which cut off all chance of escapo in that directi n; the lower halves of the windows were unprovided with sa-h weights and difficult to open, and a ladder, which the proprietor of the house states was kept in readiness in case of fire, was not to be fouudat the only moment that it would have heen of service. The honso was in fact a perfect death trap and under ev.-n the most ordinary system of supeivision would never have been allowed to open its doors as a place of accouimodatiou for the general public. We have no wish to decry the efforts of the Town Board to procure a proper system of supervision for such houses and believe that it was fully provided for in the bye laws, the gazetting of which has been persistently refused by the- Government. This being so the Government are indirectly responsible for the death of Farrell and Koss, and h-r the sufferings of the other victims. If by some technicality the bye-Jaws could not be gazetted, such a code of regulations should have been framed h\ U>w Governor-in-Council as would have given the Town Board proper control.

In commenting on this matter the Auckland Herald states that " nil keeners of hotels and lodging-houses are "supposed to provide fire-escapes, but apparently this is not enforced. In Auckland this mutter is looked after, but it would appear that in the country towns, where (ho danger is infinitely greater, mentis of escape are not furnished, and lodging-houses 8r« allowed of such construction that it is almost impossible to get out of them." Tho Herald thinks, " L'otorua, of all townships, should have been secured as it is under the immediate control of tho Government, 'who have enacted regulations in respect to a great variety of purposes connected with good order, senitation, etc.!" This is however exactly what we charge the Government with omitting to do. There are no regulations, outside of the Police Offences Act. in regard to sanitation or any other matter affecting tho public health that can bo enforoeda gainst nnj'oue, and the sooner this state of affairs is remedied the better. There is another matter arising out of this calamity which demands attention. Tho man Boss who ran up the main road, his clothes ablaze, and shrieking in his agony till he fell exhausted, was picked up and carried into the hotel close by. Another suFferer also claimed medical attention. At tho inquest it was stated, on oathj that Dr Ginders on being informed that Maunder's house had been burned down and two men badly injured, (the

messengers being ignorant as to the degree of danger) replied that "he would come up at daj'light." If this testimony be true, one is irrosisfably confronted with a picture of a haifburned wreteli praying in his agony that nn end might be put to his existence, and surgical aid withheld. It is not credible that any medical man on hearing of such a disaster, would do otherwise than hasten to where his services were required, and we refuse tn believe it of the resident doctor here. There must have been some niisumlerstan ling in the matter. -•; * * After Ross had been attended to he continued to lie in a public room of the hotel—it was stnted that he could not be admitted to the Sanatorium without a special order from Dr Mnegregor. The room was continuously crowded by a swarm of sympathising natives and others, until R >ss himself in a moment of consciousness expressed the fear that they would fall over him. Under these circumstances the Inspec-tor-General of Hospitals was communicated with and t'no necessary order was at once forwarded. The Sana" torium is not the proper place for such eases, but in an emergency of this kind there should liavo been no hesitation in admitting it. AVe eonf. ss t<> a considerable amount of ignorance in the matter of ,; (Towner's 'quest law," but we fail to see. that there was any good and sufli cient reason for hurrying the inquiry on in the manner it, was. Enough evidence could have been taken to admit of the burial order lilting issued, and the rest of the inquiry adjourned till Maunder was fit to appear. In> stead of this the coroner and his six rather stalwart jurymen, and a-burly constable, to say no'hing of a not utterly insignificant Press reporter, n 1 crowded into a small room (10 x \'2] in which Maunder and his wife lay in bed, and subjected them to an examination which continued, with a mer- • i ful break while the doctors attended to their patients, till the afternoon. The man was not fit to undergo nn . xaminatiou, and the necessity for such haste was not made apparent. * * * It is to be devoutly hoped that the rider added to the verdict, will bring about that strict supervision of boarding houses necessary to the safety of the travelling public. There are already signs of the resuscitation of the moribund Fire Brigade, which was suddenly formed some months ago and as suddenly dropped ; but it. is lament* •ble to think that wo need a calamity ••f this kind to spur us on to what is our evident duty.