PALMERSTON DAY BY DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1211, 21 August 1911, Page 6

PALMERSTON DAY BY DAY.

g —~ A SERIOUS FIRE.' (From Our Special Corrosuondent.) Palmcrston North, August 19. Considerable "tooting" on the railway engines at tho Palmcrston railway station at about 4.15 this morning aroused a good many to the fact that something was amiss, and shortly afterwards the firebell commenced ringing. There was a considerable glare in the northern sky, and it was soon discovered that tho sash and door factory of the Teratu Sawmilling Company, in Rangitikei Street, was ablaze. The fire brigade was quickly on tho spot after the alarm, but the' fire had obtained such a hold that it was impossible to save tho building, and attention was given to saving as much plant as possible, and also to # preventing the flames spreading to adjoining premises. A nowly-instal.led suction gas plant, valued at about ,£SOO, was saved, but all thp machinery is more or less damaged, and the tools belonging to some half-dozen joiners have been burnt. It appeaj-s that the manager and staff wero in tho factory till ten o'clock last night, giving tho new suction gas plant a trial, and everything appeared quite safe when they left. The insurancos amounted to .£llsO, comprising .£3OO c-n stock and machinery' in the London, Lancashire, and Globe Office, .£SOO on tho stock and machinery in tho Queensland Ofirce, and <£150 on the building in the United Office. The estimated value of the stock, plant, and building was .£2OOO, so that tho loss is ,£BSO above tlia insurances.

At the Police Court to-day, befcr? Mr. A. D. Thomson, S.M., Arthur Stavenson unattended. Another cabdriver had undertaken to mind the cab, but the magistrate said that leaving ono driver to- look after two cabs was insufficient, and was was fined 10s. and costs for leaving a cab only courting accident. A meeting of local accountants was held last evening, Mr. J. Aitcliison presiding, when it was decided to form a branch of tho New Zealand Society of Accountants. The rules cf the Wellington branch wero adopted. Messrs. J. Aitcliison, W. H. Collingwood, P. Sim, G._ Ilirsch, G. Sim, and 1?. Davis were appointed a Provisional Committee, tho permanent officials to ba appointed at a later meeting. Mr. Walter Kutherfurd, the local representative on tho Council of tho Now Zealand Society of Accountants, was -handed all proxies for tho annual meeting of th-9 society, to bo held on August 30.