Fires in Wool Ships

Southland Times, Issue 19919, 8 September 1906, Page 2

Fires in Wool Ships

Per- United Press Association. LTTRISTCHIJULMI, Sept. 7. Ik-fore the Commission to-day John MncArthur of St. .James, Amuri. said he had been a station owner ■for many years. He did not know of sheep being shorn wet, shearers insisted on sheep being shorn dry. He had never known them compelled to shear wet sheep. The shed manager decided whether the .sheep were wet or dry. His own practice was to allow the shearers to appoint an umpire in a dispute. He had not known wet wool to be sent away, and had had no heating in his wool. The waggons used to carry wool to the railway were quite sufficient to protect, the woo) and none became wet in transit. An inspection at each port would be a valuable move. A lax of twopence would provide the salary. He would favour an inspection at all scouring works.

R. \V. Hood, Hamrmr, had Had experience in wool catching lira, .lie was carting wool in Central Otago in 187(1 during n wel season. Some stations finished shearing before lie got any wool away. lie took the last load from a certain .station and on the way found the wool Very hot. Travelling in a high wind lie suddenly found smoke issuing from between tin* bales. He could not get. .water and threw the hales off the waggon. Tlie wool hurst into (lame. Seven bales, hand-pressed. were saved out of thirty on the waggon. The insurance company made enquiry hut was satisfied that llv* fire, was due simply to the wool heating. \V. H. Atkins, foreman in the fellmongery of the Christchurch Aleut Company had heard that some of the Company's wool was damaged in recent fires. The, hales reported to have heated in the centres contained pelt washing’s and pelts. The Company’s scouring process was frequent washings to completely destroy the effect of any lime or chemical mixture used in Hie preparation of the skins. The wool was thoroughly dried, hut would readily ahsoih moisture after leaving the drier. The he at as it left the drier was j.90 degrees and he believed it was quite safe to bale the wool ns soon as it left (he drier. With regard to the nothin fire he had no definite information, but if the heating occurred in (he middle of a dump it might have been due to the ends of two bales getting wot. in transit, from the works and those ends being dumped together, ,