A CARELESS PUBLIC

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17132, 7 September 1926, Page 7

A CARELESS PUBLIC

HOW FIRES START YEAR’S WASTAGE £1,050,919 (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The total fire loss throughout five districts in New Zealand for the year endad June 30 amounted to £352,638, against £306.114 for the previous year, an increase of £46.524. The four heaviest districts losses occurred in Dunedin, £59,631: Christchurch. £35,913; Auckland, £26,613; Greymouth, £25,227. The fire waste throughout the Dominion for the year 1925 was estimated at £1,050,919, or 15,3 per head of the population. C’apt. T. T. Hugo, inspector of fire bridges, points out in his annual report, which was tabled in the House to-day, that a serious aspect of the year’s working was the large number of fires relumed as due to incendiarism. In all 42 occurred owing to this cause. A total of 123 occurred owing to sheer carelessness. Under this heading are grouped fires due to electric irons, matches, smoking cigarette butts, and live ashes. There are presumably many more under the same headings, but the fire having destroyed all trace of the cause they are hidden amongst the 282 fires returned as of unknown origin.

Obviously the fault lies in a widelyspread want of a sense of responsibility in such matters, to counteract which it is necessary to get in early, and the remedy is, "first, as advocated years ago, the adoption of the system in vogue in America, making instruction in fire, prevention matters for one hour per month compulsory in. State colleges and schools. In this connection the United Fire Brigade Association in March, 1921, at their conference in Napier, passed a resolution asking the Government to adopt a similar system in New Zealand. Secondly. to follow the example of othel- countries and inaugurate an annual "fire prevention week”. This could very we.l be carried out in conjunction with the "health week” already established in sevcvnl towns.