THE FIRE AT ADDINGTON SCHOOL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 430, 12 February 1909, Page 3

THE FIRE AT ADDINGTON SCHOOL.

INQUIRY HELD. ' (BY; TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIA.TION;) " . Christchurch, February 11. Mr. C. A. C. Hardyi M;P., stated at the Edu- ; .'cation... Board,'/with reference, to ■ the .destrucv' tion by. ; -ftre'; of ythe' : Addihgt6n. School- last; Pri-' / day,/that; if necessary,'. ay : magisterial; inquiry. wbuld : ;.b6: held into : the .caiise' of-ithe- outbreak. ■Whether the fire aroso from gross carelessness, or , other /causes, . it; was impossible - toi'say, but it was;.too ! /serious,a r matter to have .£2OOO " or ;i3ooo} worth : of/ property destroyed; without /inquiring closely/into/ it./; Several members 1 of the board held an inquiry on behalf of the /Department, Mr;'./Hardy presiding./- : Hr. W. •' Jackson, caretaker of the school, stated ..that; / about 7.30 on tho night of the fire; he was in . .the .new '-schoolroom;;.with the contractor (Mr. -J/ Tweedie), .while .the/latter T :was ,v 'nailing /•sheets;of ! iron:over the window frames./ -As • / rain .was;, threatening, 'he'.lit a/match to facilitate -Mr. TweedieV operations,- and, when it began to burn his':fingers, : /he. blew it out' and dropped it on tlie floor, lie was satisfied that ;.it was thoroughly extinguished. As there we're -quantities-bf/shavings -about, 'he ..iooked. out. .over to the school building before retiring-,for : - the. night,--and-saw, ; that everything • wos as it should be. Mr. Tweedie. stated, that no ; smoking.was allowed in the.new portion ,of the /ewinf ■*«,vfe? -1 "* j l ? 6 a'policy; of ft 500 on the building dnnng the currency of .the. contract..;./.Several .other, witnesses were ~examined, but;nolight; was thrown on:the origin of the fire, but it was generally -agreed that /*9® .outbreak; started: somewhere inthe vicinity /of portion.:of the /building. :,,/Miv .. Hardy, stated that the report , would be for- . warded to tho Minister.