ILLEGAL WORK DONE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20722, 15 November 1930, Page 13

ILLEGAL WORK DONE.

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS. SERIES OF FINES IMPOSED. / -i £BV TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. J TE AROHA, Friday. A charge of permitting an employee, Eric Darby, to instal fuses on the switchboard at thu Majestic Theatre, To Aroha, wa3 preferred against Thomas Henry Billing/ theatre manager, in the Te Aroha jMagistrate's Court to-day. Mr. G. Gilchrist, who appeared for the Electric Wi.remen's Board, said his clients "were not concerned so much in obtaining & number of convictions against Billing, as in bringing before the public the danger of inexperienced persons interfering with electrical wiring. Ihe danger to life was greater in a theatre than elsewhere, as there was a. risk of panic following upon fire. The magistrate, Mr. F. W. Platts, who previously had convicted Darby for inserting, fuses, said he would convict defendant for permitting the work to bo done Billing was fined £5 and costs, £il 3s tt On two further charges, of refusing to give/ information to the borough electrical engineer, and of connecting a radiator in an unorthodox and dangerous manner, Billing was convicted and discharged. Darby was fined £2 and costs, £1 Us. Two other employees at the theatre, [William Caldwell and John Capstick, pleaded guilty' to installing a switch and an ammeter arid a conductor respectively. The borough inspector said the installation done by these men introduced a distinct fire hazard. The switch was too small for the task and would have eventually caused a fire. Both were fined £1 and' £1 lis costs.