THE CHRISTCHURCH FIRES.

Colonist, Volume L, Issue 12167, 15 February 1908, Page 3

THE CHRISTCHURCH FIRES.

\ NEGRO DETAINED. | SPECIAL POUOIE SUGGESTED. Per United Press Association. j Christchurcb, February 34. i In the case of the fire at. the "Press" office last night, traces of kerosene were found at the back of the A I Hotel. A man was seen emerging from the rubbish before the fire broke out. The police have detained a balf-caste negro on suspicion, but tbey are inclined to suspect that the" fires are ignorant jokes, rather than attempts to raiss disastrous conflagrations. Meanwhile the police have^ instructed botelkeepers and others to keep a watchful eye on their back premises, ana to remove accumulations of inflammable rubbish. Members of the Fire Brigade take a more serious view or the recent outbreaks than the police, and think the attempts wereunade by determined incendiaries. "It is no joke to the Fire Brigade, " said Superintendent Smith to a "Star" reporter t bis morning. "We bavu been kept on the jump ever since the big fire, and you have to remember that we have only two 9 permanent men, the resst being|volunteers. I have two men working all the time repairing hose, and last night the firemen got very little Test at all. The people who insist on keeping the;r rubbish exposed are as nfuch to blame »s anyone. All rubbish should be placed in galvanised iron bins with tops, and the use of inflammable wooden boxes for this purpose should not'be allowed at all." Christchurch has suffered from a successionfof fires since the big disaster of last week, scarcely a night having passed without a fira of some description. This is probably mere coincidence, the evidence availabe, suggesting that tbo incendiunsts did not commence their nefarious work until last night, but tha public has na very definite assurance on the point Eyen the tig tire itself it ia pointed out, waa first cjigcoy-

e er'ecl just inside a door, down , right-of-way. ■ ! The outbreak at the Cafe de, Par , last nigut, which cccurred .short! f before seven o'clock was a cloub 5 one, two fires being discovered i fcbe ■ back portion of tho premise* withia tea minutes of one nuothei Only aUtthi damage was done, an the* fires were" easily eAtinguieUex but they, might have started a'sfiri ous.blaze had they not been notice at once. Mr J. F. Grierson to-day visite the Mayor. J and suggested that meeting of 'citizens might very wel be called^to consider the advisable ness of forming a volunteer tire pc lice corpsf-aa was done once befor in Christchurcb, when a body c 200 men was sworn in to deal prim arily with an outbreak of inceirdi arisin. Mr Grierson pointed ou that such a "corps would be invalu able in case of a large fire, an that during a period of iccendiai i.sm the men might be used to ad vantage in patrolling the city The Mayor has promised to eonside the matter. 2 The half-caste who has been ar rested hact been identified as one o three men who asked a Mr Andrew; for a match, shortly before the fin was discovered at Che back of thi U HoteL