FIRES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3972, 29 April 1930, Page 19

FIRES.

MEMORIAL HALL DESTROYED.

Ti o i r GREYMOUTH. April 22. J .ie Soldiers Memorial Hal], with the bbrary, at Ahaura, was destroyed by fire. A bucket brigade saved tlie post office.

TWO DAIRY FACTORIES DESTROYED.

. DAANEVIRKE, April 21. Dairymen in the districts adjacent to Wannevirke suffered a severe blow during Emstei, two cheese factories some miles apart being destroyed by fire. The first blaze was at the Maharahara Co-operative Company s factory on Easter Sundav night, when the structure, a wooden builc.uig with a concrete curing room, and containing five vats, with valuable machinery and about 27 tons of cheese, was completely destroyed. The fire apparently started in the vicinity’ of the boiler room Ihe efforts of a bucket brigade to save the building, which was built abo.r 1913. proved futile. The loss will be sc 1 .-re. as much valuable machinery wa destroyed, about £2OOO haviim been expended on up-to-date plant. The ehees.Jobt y.-c.uld have been on the rails bu tor the Easter holidays. Arrangementhave been made by 34 suppliers to taktnoir milk to the Eiritaki factory, which 2, 1 ..ored the s’.me fate some months back u. insurances are not available. I lie second fire occurred at Umutaroro.eail.v on Easter Monday, when a three-va v. factory owned by the Dannevirk Co-operative Dairy Company, with it plant, was totally destroyed by fire. Th manager hail a look round about 6 a.m. everything then being safe, and about 3’ minutes later he was surprised to sc names coming from the factory near th boiler room. Efforts to extinguish th b.aze proved futile. The origin of th outbreak is a mystery. The' factory wa probably the oldest building of its kind ii the district, being about 30 years old. Til building and plant were insured in thOcean Company for £4200. The sup pliers will tak; their milk to a neighbor mg factory.

EIGHT BUILDINGS DESTROYED. . NELSON, April 23. A most disastrous fire occurred at Co. lingwood at about 1 o’clock this niornincompletely destroying six buildings am gutting two others.

Commencing at the rear of Stal’ard'boanling house, the flames ate up the wooden structure with amazing rapiditv A had owned by the Presbyterian Church and a manse occupied by Mr Ross am family soon caught, and by th,is time a stcany breeze was fanning the flame: across the street, licking the buildingopposite. Cotter’s billiard saloon soon caught fire, and the post office wa> threatened, but, thanks to a good pressure of water and excellent work by the brigade, this was saved, and the fire was got under control in the billiard room. ‘ this time the wind had veered slightlv and Lrame’s Collingwood Hotel am' •m V ' e n S b,itc ‘ ler S,lO P f dl easy victims J lie flames from these buildings swep: across \\ illiam street, destroying Wi--zells store and institute. A buildim next to tlie institute then caueht, but lr this time the brigade had worked throng: the back of the hotel site, and soon ha< the fire under control, saving portion o tlie building.

lhe occupants of the boarding houw butchers shop, and the hotel lost practically everything. The institute building housed a library, nothing being s: ? v . c< ‘- fl* c l° ss is estimated in the vicinity of £12.000, which is a big blow to, the township. The insurances available are: Stallards, £B5O on the building and £250 011 flff" c ? n ‘- en f s - in the Liverpool, London, and Globe Office; and £l5O on the contents in a Home Office; Presbyterian manse £lOO in the South British'; Wigzell s. £BOO on the buildings and' £1175 on the contents; both in tlie South British Office: Institute, £l5O on the building and £lO on the contents in the South Britisii Office: dwelling of R. J. I rons . £ 350 in the South British Office; Colliers. £250 on the building in the South British place: Collingwood Hotel. £2OOO on the -V 11 £ C0 ° 011 tlle furniture in the Alliance Office.

OUTBREAK IN SOUTH DUNEDIN. Just before midnight on Wednesday the City Eire Brigade was called to Cargill road, where a two-storey wooden building was on fire. The building, which comprised five rooms and a shop, all of which were unoccupied and empty, is owned by Messrs Smith and Smith, Ltd. The fire had apparently been started from the outside, near the back door, and incendiarism is suspected. The police have the matter in hand. There is an insurance of £5O on the building in the Royal office.

FIRE IN PRINTING WORKS

At 10.44 on Friday morning the City Fire Brigade was called to the printing works in Vogel street owned and occupied by Mr John M'lndoe. The floor imediately in front of the furnace and some paper were burned, the fire having been started by some waste paper falling out oi the furnace. The damage amounted to about £3O. The building is insured for sums totalling £2500 in the 1.0. A., London, Liverpool, ami Globe, and Victoria offices and policies amounting to £5OOO in the North British Mercantile, London, Liverpool, and Globe, Alliance, Yorkshire, London and Lancashire, and Victoria offices, cover the contents.

The recent announcement of a rise in the price of bread brings to an end the war which has been raging in Wellington for a year. The price was cut to 5d pct loaf by one firm, and the bakers say that none of them could make a profit, and some lost severely. The revolting firm has now given way, and had it not done so some bakers would have had to close down. Accompanying this is tlie surprising statement that bread is no longer the staff of life, but a luxury. A few years ago the average per family was 10 loaves per week, but now it is only four. The reasons given are the increased use of cakes, pastry, and oatmeal foods.