BOY ELECTROCUTED

Southland Times, Issue 25312, 15 June 1935, Page 6

BOY ELECTROCUTED

INQUEST HELD.

CORONER CRITICIZES AUTHORITIES.

(Per United Press Association.)

Thames, June 14.

Delivering his verdict to-day in connection with the death of Alexander Frederick Feisst, aged nine years, whose body was found under his parents’ residence on March 10, the Coroner found that death was due to electrocution through coming in contact with a totally, inefficient earth wire made alive by an inadvertent crossover of the main lead in the wires by some person approximately 18 months ago. The Coroner found that Frederick Ditchfield, a former occupier of the house, now employed by the Public Works Department at Arapuni, when employed by the Borough Council some 18 months ago endeavoured to remedy a defective supply to the residence without authority. Ditchfield admitted replacing the service mains from the street post to the house and the Coroner expressed the opinion that he was also responsible for installing an under-gauge wire found as part of the lead in the installation and also for the apparently inadvertent cross-over of the lead in the wires, thus causing the defective earth wire to be alive. The Coroner said that when the borough supply was changed from direct to alternating current in 1929 the earthing of the house installation was not in accordance with the wiring regulations. Had the local authority carried out periodical inspections as required by regulation, this fault in the service must have been readily detected.