LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 29, 29 October 1907, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

. FIRES ON WOOL SHIPS. Sir,—With .your kind permission I would like to make a few remarks concerning wool and lire on cargo vessels. Whenever a fire breaks oiit on a ship, if there is any wool on board, it is almost sure to get the blame for it, I have read a lot lately' about the ■Turakina fire, and many fires before that over since I can remember. Now, Mr. Editor, I more than surprised in those enlightened times that others with practical experience of man years liaro not come forward before and refuted such a thingas wool being the cause of fires on ships. The thing is, as the old saying goes, a regular old woman's yarn, and a very expensive yarn for the country. I am a.native of New Zealand about 65 years. I have been amongst wool nearly all my life. I have been a shearer; 1 have been a wool-classer and wool-scourer, and i can -positively say that clean wool has never been the cause of iire since the history of itho world. I say that under no circumstances can.olean wool be made to get heated or oven warm unless something else warmed it, and it never- did burn unless something else burnt it. ...

\\ 00l is very tfard to burni Get a little bit of loose wool, which would be easier burnt than pressed wool, put- a match to it;-it will only burn while you hold the match to it; take the match away and it is out. I've packed damp scoured wool and sent it Home and had the very best returns. There is nothing that comes from an animal's bade that-...wi1l get heated whether it is packed wot or not. The only wool I have over known to get heated has been a heap of dnggy ivool, but that- has not been the wool, it has been the' vegetation attached to it. and I may say the only wool that is shipped that would be likely to get heated is the class of wool that- goes by the name of locks and pieces. A lot of these pieces arc the daggy wool, with the dags supposed to be sut off, but in many instances they are not cut off anything like clean. Lot's of our farmers do not skirt their wool. I have seen pieces, of dags left on hundreds of times. Now if any wool ever did get heated that would undoubtedly bo the enuso. All my readers will know that anything that comes from the earth is of a very heating nature. 1 I should'say that flax'or towc. is _ a very dangerous cargo unless properly 'ined. As,to fire on ships, clean wool is as safe a cargo as asbestos or any other nonmilanimablo cargo. Now to satisfy the travelling public and insurances it 'would not cost the .Government much to build something to represent a ship's hold and 'pack some clean damp wool or wet wool and see tho result ,or they could put so many bales of damp wool in one of our small steamers with no other combustibles on board and c I'.cr cruise around, say six weeks. If then is any warmth to como into it it will e there in tli.it time. V I should think to giv it a trial would he bettor than this anscrtamty and these- expansive enquiries. I hanking you for so much'of your "valuable spaca.—lam, etc., : p / '.'•■' , EXPERIENCE., I'almcrston North, October 26.