ALLEGED LIBEL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21325, 28 October 1932, Page 11

ALLEGED LIBEL

RACING DRIVER'S SUIT THEORIES AS TO FIRE IN CAR (Received October '27, 7.55 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 27 The hearing was continued to-day of the action in which Mr. Norman Smith is claiming from Smith's Weekly £20,000 damages for alleged libel in an article published on May 21. Plaintiff contends that lie was publicly denounced in this article as a coward in connection with his motor speed trials on the Ninety-Milo Beach,, New Zealand. Donald Harkness, designer of Smith's car, furnished theories concerning the cause of the fire which occurred in it. He said the only conclusion he had formed was that some foreign matter had caused it. A fire could be deliberately caused with a petrol-soaked rag and with the engine running there would be no difficulty in picking up a spark, which would ignite the rag. Norman Josephson, consulting engineer, said it was not possible to cause a fire in the manner suggested by plaintiff. Witness was of the opinion that the fire could have been caused by loosening the clip on the petrol supply pipe, thus allowing the petrol to ooze out slowly and be ignited by a spark from one of the plugs.