ARMY STORE FIRE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 73, 27 March 1945, Page 7

ARMY STORE FIRE

LOSS PUT AT £225,700 (P.A.) Palmerston North, March 23 Evidence submitted to the Coroner's inquiry by the officer commanding the ordnance depot at the showgrounds. Captain W. S. Keegan, as to damage caused by the fire on December 31 last, set the loss to the Army Department at £225,700. The total value of all stock at the depot at the end ol December, 1944, was £1,100,000. Captain Keegan said that thefts up to the time of the fire were very small from the ordnance depot and the greater part of the overall deficiencies were the result of mis-counting. In two years and nine months the losses from "all sources amounted £627. For the same period there were brought, on charge surpluses to the value of £l6OO, and thus surpluses outweighed the shortages by about £lOOO. Witness detailed the accounting system of charging the goods. From his knowledge of the store there could be definitely no suggest ion that the fire was started to conceal shortages. Corporal Gould of the works branch of the Central Military District, described tests made with gas-heated coppers under conditions representing those in the men’s cookhouse and ordnance store. Detective F. Quin gave evidence of inquiries into possible causes of fire. Thev had been widespread an,l exhaustive. but produced no relevant Information which had not been placed before Ihe Court. No evidence could he found of sabotage, incendiaries, or any iterference like that. No person could be found who had lit the copper found burning hv Sergeant Luffman. The insurance on the buildings of the A. and P. Asociation were very substantially below the replacement cost of the building; to-day. The Coroner reserved his finding, which he said he hoped to give next week.