FIRE INQUIRIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 121, 14 July 1911, Page 5

FIRE INQUIRIES.

DESIRED IN ALL CASES. A PUBLIC MEETING. A public meeting, convened by tire Mayor,- was field in tire Borough Council Chamber first night to consider tire matter of fire inquiries. The Mayor presided, and there was a fair attendance, including three ladies. j JlO Mayor said there had been a number of serious fires in Stratford recently. He had clone Iris best to get inquiries held, but had so far failed to do so. The local police officerseemed to want an absolute statement that somebody had been seen to ignite tire building before lie would take steps to have an inqury. He thought it would be entirely satisfactory if there was an inquiry into every lire. There had been a large number of fires, and if the present conditions continued there was no doubt that the insurance companies would cither put up the rates to an exhorbitant extent or withdraw entirely from business. That would be a serious matter. He moved :—That, in view of the number of fires that have taken place in this town lately, some of them at least being of a suspicions nature, and of the difficulty in moving the authorities to hold an'enquiry, this meeting strongly urge upon the department the necessity for the appointment of a local Coroner, and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Minister for Justice.

Mr Fearon was of opinion that there should be an enquiry into every fire. Mr Masters said the author ities objected to holding inquiries because of the cost of bringing the Coroner to town; but that would be got over if a local Coroner was appointed. Mr Grubb also favoured inquiries itr all fires. There were many things which came under the notice of the brigade, which should be made public. There were chimneys in the town which had been built in a terribly lax manner, inferior mortar being used, and only put on the outside of the bricks. There were chimneys in which a stick could be poked through the mortar. There were things which came under the notice of tiro brigade which would bo brought out if there was an inquiry.

Mr Masters said that the matter of defective chimneys would be dealt with by the Borough Council. The motion was carried unanimously Mr Howitt moved: That a copy of the resolution should be sent to the Underwriters’ Association, with a recommendation that they should instruct their agents to carefully examine the buildings insured. So far as he could see buildings were not examined and were insured for much over their value, which made people careless. This ruction was also carried. Mr \V. V. Wilson said that the fire Coroner should be the Mayor of the town. If anybody else were appointed, he might be out of town wnen a lire occurred. He moved that this be added to the chief motion as a recommendation. This was carried. Mr Dyson moved that representations be made to the Justice Department with a view to determining who is responsible for looking after property at a lire after tne Fire Brigade has left. In recent fires they Had seen people going through the ruins, inflicting further loss on people who had already suffered severely. Mr Masters thought the motion would have no weight. He did not think the Government would do anything. Mr Wilson said that in Wellington the Fire Brigade took charge of a building as scon as a fire broke out, and allowed nobody to enter—not even the owner—until the underwriters took charge. In Stratford, they paid quite sufficient in the way of insurance, and they should be entitled to consideration in the respect mentioned. Mr Masters said the Underwriters’ Association had refused to pay a man to watch burnt buildings. While there was a risk of a fire breaking out again the Brigade would pay a man to watch it. Mr Crossan thought the underwriters and the owners of burnt properties should pay a man to watch. In reply to Mr Masters, Mr Dyson said he expected that a man should watch a fire for as long as would enable people burnt out’to get some rest and return to the building. Mr Wilson thought that, as soon as a fire broke out, all insured property became die property of the insurance company. 'The motion was carried.