FIRES IN WANGANUI SCHOOLS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3313, 12 September 1917, Page 39

FIRES IN WANGANUI SCHOOLS.

INCENDIARISM SUSPECTED. WANGANUI, September 7. 1 A fire at the Queen's Park School practically destroyed it. About £6O wort&i of band instruments, as well as many': pounds' worth of school books, were destroyed. The Education Department held the risk on the old portion of the building,, the remainder being covered by insurance totalling £IOOO, divided as follows:—New Zealand Company, £35 6s Bd, and the South British, Victoria, Standard, and Liverpool,; London, and Globe £166 13s 3d each. Som| sensational disclosures havo since been madd in connection with the fire. Fires have occurred in other schools in Wanganui during the present week, and the police suspect incendiarism. The first school to suffer was that at Victoria avenue! When the charwoman left at 6 p.m. or. Monday everything; was in order. On returning at 4 o'clock on Tuesday, however, she found that ond of the rooms had been ransacked. Thd drawers in the master's table had been forced open and the lockers opened, the contents having been placed on top of the table and set fire to, the charred remains being found. On entering a second room a similar state of affairs existed, while in a third room the contents of drawers and lockers had been placed in the centre oi the floor and set alight. Fortunately nc further damage was done beyond charring the woodwork. On the following day. wher a visit was paid to Miss O'Brien's infan.l school, near St. John's Hill, the gas _ ring in .one room was discovered burning briskly How long it had been burning no ori« knows, but it was certain that it had beer set alight after the school had broken uj for the" week's holidays. The have the matters in hand, and full inquiry .ii being made.