BY-LAWS BROKEN

Chronicle (Levin), 9 June 1948, Page 6

BY-LAWS BROKEN

Press AssociationJ

Bailantynes Fire Inquiry Continues

(Per

CHitlSTUHURCH, June 8. Under cross-examinatioii at JBallantvne 's iire inquiry today Fwart Somers, city eouncil engineer, said the use' of wallboard in liallantyne's was a bpeach of the by-lavvs and when perniission had been given for the use of wallboard, ; non-inflamniable material ' liad been available. No permit had been given ; for the uge of inflaniinable wallboard in .new buildings in tlie iuner ,city area in 1936 j37. The permits for Ballantyne's had been granted by a junior oliicer. \yallboard had probably contribut'ed to ■ the heat of the fire but perhaps not so much to the rapid spread. He would favour a prohibition of the use of wallboard for domestic and" commercial buildings unless treated with iire re- . 8istant material. The openings at Ballantyne's could well have been one of the main factors in the disaster. The city council approved an egress code . nearly three years ago but never adopted it though pressed to do so by the Christchurcn : c'ire Board. Somers said he considered it safe to rely 011 exterual iire escapes as an aiternative means of egress. There was uc provision in the by-lavvs requiring - fire doors for openings. Similariy there were no provisions dealing with unprotected lioor spaee, iire part'itions, in-liM-nal iire walls, enclosed stairways, fire alarnis, emergeney lighting in exits or the distance inmates of a building had to travel to reach a iire -escape. Tliat made the hy-iaws unsatisfactory from the point of view of preventioii of iire. The ehairman, Sir Harold Johiistoh; [f the council is hopelesMy beliind the time's with its by-laws, who eonsiders that? Somers: The housing and town plauning coiniiiittee. The matter has b'eeii Ln liand for nionths but during the war we could' not get to it. The ehairman: Even so, that is hardlv a reason for going to sleep on the . matter. Somers: We were not asieep. It has . been hard to obtaiu staff. The ehairman: What strikes me is that neithor the city council nor the fire board seems to have known anylliing about the inside of the buildings. Somers: We knevv tlie buildings generally. Two of three city council members oi tlie iire board, Jolin Edward Tait and William Per-.y Glue, appeared at the requcst of t/io Comniission to anSwer questions. Tait told Mr. J. D. Iiutchison, for the iire board, that tliere was full cooperation bet.ween local body mem,ber.s and the fire underwriters represenuitives. , ' * ' Befpre Ballantyne's1; fire he had, no idea there" were deiiciencies in the brigade's equipment but since, the iire .board had inade liiquiries about getting a ladder ' which could ' be used for lifesaving. For the Crown, Mr. (4. Gf. G- YVatson cro.ss-exainined Tait at length on the council 's ' by-laws and inspections- of . lAMI® bV m§nU b'tii cSVs.' br Wtf AIbs " told Alr. Watson he did not tliink tliere was much dii'f'erence on coutrol of the brigade by the council or by tlie iire board. Which Control? "One Of the very ditticult questions^ which vyill arise is 1 vvhether control shoiild be nuilucipal of not?" said Sir Harold Johnston, when he aslced Tait if he was satisfied vvith the present system of control. Tait replied that' he was satisfied but added that administration might be easier if the council had control. Glue said he liad been on the iire bourd since 1941. He said he djd not tliink tlie present control of the brigade would be improved it tlie brigade was put under the "city council. There was room for "quite a lot Of improvcment", he said to the ehairman. Mr. Watson: Are you satislied witli tlie efficiency of the brigade at Baliantyne 's ? Witness: Absoiutelv. At Ballantyne's Iire tliere were 17 appliances, 18,000 feet of hose, 231 authorise'd firemen and 30 . poiiits of supply. I think the results were excellent. The whole block mighi liave gone. To furthcr questions by Mr. Watson, Glue said that tlie board liad neithor euvisaged tlie possibility of a major fire taking place when the superintendent or his deputy were avvay at the saiue time, nor takeu steps to meet that possibility. Mr. Watson: Before Ballantyne's fire, were you satisfied that there wrere no regulations or by-law to provide safe egress from buildings in Christfichurch? Witness: I did not know it was as bad as that, but I know it was pretty bad. To anotlier question by Mr. Watson, Glue said: "1 am disappoiuted and surprised that we liave not adopted tlie standard egress code before this." The (Jominission adjourned until tomorrow.