The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 1901. PRECAUTIONS IN REGARD TO FIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 115, 5 June 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 1901. PRECAUTIONS IN REGARD TO FIRE.

The late fire in Auckland, and some time previously, the fire at the Moturoa Hotel, and the terrible loss of life on both occasions, point to the necessity, not only of proper fire escapes, j but of the appointment of a thoroughly qualified Inspector to sea that such escapes are suitable and that they are to placed as to admit of easy esc pe, do matter in what part of the building the fire may break out. This should apply not only to hotels but to all buildings of over one story, trking in lodgers. Again, in th% opinion of many, the time has come to insist upon the ereetion, within certain boundarirg, of at leas*, b k-k side walls, ias'ead of the present flimsy structures of wood or corrugated iron, scrim and paper, all of which, in case cf fire, tend to form a terrible trap for heavy sleep em, When we see the lrss of life at the burning of a substantial brick building like the Grand Hotel at Auckland, we can imagine the possible result of a fire in one of the structures such as above, perhaps at a time when crowded I with visitors, or at our annual races, A southern contemporary doling with the question, taya-: " The sad and appilling loss of life in connection with the Auckland fire again dr »ws attention to the necessity | fur the strie'est supervision and in-

spection of our hotels end lodginghomes. The danger from fire in such „ a c'aes of buildiDg as the Aucklard hotel which has just bpen disMoyed, is slways present, and unless the most thorough precautions are taken, loss ol life will inevitably orcur, just as it has occurred in Auckland. It #hou!d be made wiminal for hotel proprietor* to neglect to supply complete safeguards agaicst ca'astrophes of this kind as the result of fire. The provision of fie esccpes and the periodical inspection of all licensed lodging-houses are not sufficient, in cur opinion. Fiies ere frequently causfd by the purest cfirelessnpss, and the lack of the racst primitive precautions on tlw part of the people jesponsible. More fre quently, if underwriters are to be believed, tbey are the wsuit of criminal intention, and the work of the ircendiaiist. It is becoming absolute'y n'cessary that some measures should be

devised for cheeking fires. It appears to us that; the public interests are not

sufficiently safeguards d, and that some thing in the nature of a more stringent form of fire icquest should be held. Particularly whenever there is any doubt regarding the cause of firp, such

a course ought to be purstud. If I negligence or criminal intension exist, 'h' re is some possibility of proving i*; and of aJI.<UiD» the Hiina wherever it

is due. The effect would be te mike people morn careful than they are at present, and the erinn if arsoa would certainly l'ec;mo Ifss p-pular. The knowledge that in tho evint of a fire that was cot obviously the result of accident, a searching ocquiry would le held, would make, not only the occupier, but tho underwriter, the fire brigi-de, and, in fact, tho builder and designer of every dwelling more careful. The underwriters have safeguarded themselves already in the North Island by putting up the rates but this will cot prevent fire. Ou the, ( contrary, it is likely t9 have quite aj contrary effect. It should be impera-j tive that the underwriters should

periodically fxamine their risks', and tha" nothing in the shape of overinsurance should be allowed. Tne p'ans of architects and builders are perfunctorily Hifrnittcd for tht iospection of llio civic authority s, but such inspection is tsa rule pwcticilly us.:kss, and if they werj lLbln to censure for the erection of unsnfe bui'ding.«, undoubtedly more cara would be taken, There.is, we uoders'and, a desiiefor sui-h a foi;m of inquiry on the p it of underwriter ar:d Fire Brigade officials-, who are probably mote aw'aro of the aUrraing proportion of suspiri us fires than any other portion of. the ctm-| munity. Just now/ the q lestion of fire prevention assumes a more than usually important aspect. Visitors will be nocking in from all parts of the colony, and the hotels will b3 crammed with people. It is highly necessary that [ the City Council should make a close inspection of all buildings likely to be | used as and that none I where there is ary danger of fatal results from firo should bo permitted to take in bondars until euitabls preoptions are taken. We da Dot w:»nt the sligh'eit chance of any repetition of jtho Auckland disaster on a larger , scale,"