COMPANY’S CLAIM FOR INSURANCES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 144, 19 June 1931, Page 7

COMPANY’S CLAIM FOR INSURANCES.

EVIDENCE HEARD IN WAIROA FIRE CASE. Per Press Association. GISBORNE, June 19. The hearing was continued of the case in which the Wairoa Farmers’ Meat Company and the Bank of New Zealand is proceeding against the New Zealand Insurance Companv and the Eagle Star and British Dominion Insurance Company for £77,850 for damage to the Wairoa Freezing Works allegedly caused by a fire on February William Drewitt, engineer to the Power Board, said that the maxigraph instruments he rescued from the fire showed by the graphs of the electrical energy consumed that the buildings were in such a condition that they were holding their temperatures. His Honor: If there were a short in the system, sufficient to cause a fire, would that be shown? Witness: If there was an arcing short sufficient to create danger of fire it would be recorded on the graph. Witness, continuing, said there was normal consumption of current before and after the ’quake. There could have been no abnormal ingress of the outside atmosphere, otherwise it would have taken longer to obtain the desired temperature. Cross-examined, the witness said that the system of wiring had been a poor one, but it was improved before the ’quake, and would have passed the Underwriters’ Association. The wires in the chamber were not in tubes, only the entrance wires,, the sole insulation being a cover of rubber and braiding. These wires . were fairly tightly stretched, and if further stretched might diminish in diameter or break. The recording instruments would tell of defects in the system. He had not been in C store for four years, and could not speak positively as to the condition of the wiring after the ’quake. Origin of Fire Discussed. Further cross-examined, Mr Drewitt said that he could not suggest any source of the fire, apart from human intervention, other than the electrical installation. His Honor: Rats don’t like freezing works, I take it. Rats are getting unfashionable as far as fires are concerned. The witness added that fires of electrical origin were most uncommon. They were more likely to occur in conduit systems where wires were close together and could arc across. Asked if, in the event of Waikaremoana being put out of action, power could have been obtained, witness said that there were duplicate fines and he could not conceive of any contingency made under which consumers on this line could not have been supplied within /twelve hours. James Brownlie, a sheepfarmer, who had meat in the works, said that he inspected the works after the ’quake and came to the conclusion that they were quite safe, the damage being slight. John Wilson Kane, Superintendent of the Gisborne Fire Brigade, reviewing the sectional plan of the uninsulated walls of the Wairoa works, stated that the fire would not be readily extinguished once it had a good hold. If a hole was burnt through the floor and a draught got into the building the fire would obtain a good hold. To fight a fire of that nature a pressure of lOOlbs with four to six leads would be necessary. When the fire was well away there would be nothing gained by going on the roof. His Honor: Assuming that the appliances were inadequate, that doesn’t affect the case, because the insurance company tock it and fixed the premium on that. I’m more concerned with the cause as far as if is attributable to the earthquake.