THE WELLINGTON FIRE,

North Otago Times, 1 November 1906, Page 2

THE WELLINGTON FIRE,

liy Telegraph. , . " Winston, October 31, At the concerning, the recent bis fii'o at Lambton Quay .voluminous cvidciicc was talten the relations of the financial ami otherwise position of the persons who formed the Well iißton Auctioneorinu Company, in whose premises tho fire occurred. Max Aaronstein, the manager,' said be last visited the premises between 9.80 and; 10 on the Sunday ovcnifiir before the fire. He went there with his wifc. lie did not use any matches. ■ John Morris, otherwise Schapiro, said I up to tliree_ years ago lie was a" Pattiifit in the business. He left 'because Diede- ] rich, after Symiloft left, made-a vcUi improper suggestion to me. He said', « Let's, slock the place, aii'l net a heavy insur-' ance on it. It's.ail old wooden placo, and would 1 not take very much to mate it 'blaze." ,At..that'time there was.about £2OO. insurance on the premises, and there was about £IOO worth of stock there.' Sonic Oi it w}s,ncw furniture, and some of it second hand. Witness went on to say that on September 28 lie visited the ■shop wilh : a' I|lr. ,Aschner, of Christchurch. to look over the place, as bo

liranl the business'was tor sale. icy hull a Rood look at the stock, as that was the object of their visit. He know ut jocxl deal about furniture, and was a furnisher of houses, -He- would not Ei"c. more than £IOO for.theilet... . ' 'lnspector Ellison: ''Then you would i:o- -ivr £BOO .for the stock?" Witness (in ; astonishment} £BOO ! never!. Where was the £BOO ? W not there. ,'I say most emphatically' 1 would not give £IOO for it. ■ Joseph Brown, who was as storeinan at Hie Wellington Ant t-ioneciinsr. Company's premises for aLo:it three years, said there, was- a fair stock in the shop on the Saturday before the fire. lie would value it at about £9OO,