FIRE COMMISSION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1834, 15 August 1906, Page 2

FIRE COMMISSION.

PRESS ASSOCIATION Wellington, yesterday. The Royal Commission set up to inquire into the causes of she recent fires in wool, hemp, and tow cargoes on steamers sat to day. The first witness called was S. Burridge, a fellm-onger, who said that he had had thirty years’ experience in the wool trade. He ascribed the reoent fires among wool to the fact that low qualities of wool had been shipped, and they contained a considerable quantity of vegetable matter. He had never seen a good quality of wool heated, but in low qualities insufficient care was taken before shipment.

A'fred Tyer, fellmoDger, said that a good deal of the cause of the fires was the shipping of wool in a wet season. Much of tbe wool got wet going from the railway station to the ship. Tho bales were then dried in the sun, but there was no doubt that the wool in the interior of tbe bales became boated. He did not thirik that w-ol would go into flame unless it was stowed against flax or anything that would ignite. Later.—The Royal Commission setup to discover the causes of the fire on oversea vesstla carrying cargoes of wool and flax commenced hearing evidence to day. S unuel Burridge, a fellmonger of 30 years’ experience, said his conclusion was that fires on worships were oaused in low quality wools —that was wool with a lot of vegetation ia it, burrs, eto. That remark might also be applied to orutobiDgs, for farmers as a rule were not so particular as to the state of the weather when they crutcbei sheep, taking advantage of wet days. Examination had shown that euoh wool had become heated He had never seen good quality wool oatoh fire. The whole tondenoy was for fires to occur in low qualities, though he was not prepared to say whether tbaf would bo sufficient fo pause fires. Ho had known sheep drivpq in a stream and shorn next day; tyool shipped under suoh conditions would, jq his belief, have a tendency to spontaneous combustion.

Alfrtd Tyler, fellmouger, said that a great deal of trouble was caused in the wet Beason through wool and skins being shipped in bad condition, He had wool from ships that bad been on fire, aod the wool had only been scorched on the outside, the intide of tho bales being quite sound. Packs bad been burnt off, and the fire had burnt a ooup’e of inches or so into tho balps.

Dilnott Sladon, mannger of (.he Wellington Meat Export Company, stated that lie had no pinioular views to advanoe on this subj.ct, and therefore could not give any dcfiniio information. He oou'd only do what other people did—surm’se—but 1 p bai been looking for information on pbe qu at‘on himself, aod d f d not know woepe to g. t it. \j7ith regard to slips wool tho company bqTd bad ODly one bale sent back which was heated, BDd it was immediately unpacked and c:oled. A system of inspection to be of any value must be very oomplefe, because it might be not only days but weeks before any beit was generated. Tho email numbor of fires that occurred in proportion to tbo largo shipments of wool sent away showed that it was only under extiemely exceptional circumstances that anything hk9 spontaneous oombustion occurred. Supposing it did take place, though, it was impossible to believe that there wero uot some wot fleeces put into bales, considering tho great quantities g, wool shippe d.