North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1908. WOOL OR FLAX.

North Otago Times, 28 May 1908, Page 2

North Otago Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1908. WOOL OR FLAX.

• llJicn llie Royal Commission sut as ut wurf of inquiry into, tin- causes of 'ire in llie wool uy llu.v cargoes ui ihips tlui weight of evidence rather i-iointa! to wool us being tho cause,where the origin could be traced to •<|)oiitnncous> combustion. .The. Commission made most exhaustive inquiries, dikl ■ travelled to every part' of the colony where there was the. least likelihood ot securing information llml would guide it to something .in tho nature of a rcliuble conclusion. The diversity of the■ evidi'..iv given '-pre* eluded the Court being able to doginii-' tise on the subject, but its leaning to dam]) wool.as the cause of fires aboard ship naturally followed the weight ot evidence given in the course, of tin Commission's inquiries. In this, the Commission was probably quifc.right, for like a judge its members could only be guided to a conclusion by the character of the evidence placed before them. But it does not follow that be' cause the Commission ennie to'thii conclusion on the weight ot evidence that that conclusion was the right ono, >'or niter all it could only be based on iho opinions formed by those who gavt. evidence. Damp wool nmfllax,' liki lain)) grass in a heap, will heat, rind tho question is which of the two former is most likely to burst into dame on the hont reaching a certain Hugo. The most conspicuous fires abonrd ship tlmt we have had in New Zealand ports was that aboard the Turakinn ol Wellington,.and .that which broke out on Wednesday on the big ocean steamer lonic at the satire port. In tho ease ot the former steamer there might 'have been a 'louljt, but tho weight of evidence cerIniniy pointed to flax as being . the origin—assuming that spontaneous 'ombustion was the cause of the firo In the caso of the:lonic wool- .cannot enter into the dcbateable question of what caused the fire, for it- was liot stowed in the vicinity ot where tho lire bro'ifi out. The cargo in tho hold was mostly flax, with a small quantity of general goods. If the question ' were 'imiied to whether to wool or /lay was due the fires that break out aboard ships carrying these commodities tho firo oil the lonic would settle the matter at once, for undoubtedly it broko out amongst the flax, and. ::ot in the wool. But, as we said before, no cno can dogmatise on the subject, for ■ there is always tho doubt - that these fires may be as much'due. to carelessness on the part o( men on Hit ship as of men oh the station or 'at the (lax mill. Tho conclusion, however, that one would naturally arrive at is that tho lire oil the lonic • has been caused by spontaneous combustion in. tlw flux, it spontaneous combustion really wkw (In) cfiu.-c; in miy case, the officers of the ship say tliaj tho firo broke out amongst tho flax portion of tho lonic's .cargo, and if so the fact disposes of, td a large extent, tho belief of tho Royal Commission cause of fires aboard ships. It ii quite possible both will burst into (lame on heating obovo a certain temperature, but in this case-, there is no doubt that the. fire started-; in the hole) tylipre the /lux was stowed. The more momciitous question is as to whether something, capnot be.doije to avert these frequent outbreaks)- -ot- Tire, aboard ships' carry'ing wool or "flaxy niid tho answer .to that is (hat. spoil; tanoous combustion in wool or,, flax cannot occur whore there is r.o damp. If those who ■ handle such: gO'ods exercised sufficient cure there could bit no lire* ; froiii spontaneous combustion, for tlie-c-suso' of' combustion would be. absent,, It Is useless spying tlmt' 'if competent ,• person- cannot, tell;, the difference,between dry and. damp' wool or dry and damp' llu.v. It is here tlinl_ the mischief takes pined—n want ";'oi; proper supervision, \ \ /