CITY ENGINEER’S EVIDWNCE AT BALLANTYNE INQUIRY

Grey River Argus, 5 June 1948, Page 3

CITY ENGINEER’S EVIDWNCE AT BALLANTYNE INQUIRY

June 4. A lengthy report on nauancyne’s buildings ana tne oy-iuws uecumg wnn coiisiiuction. permits covering alterations was submitted by Mr iswart Comers, city engineer, at Batiantyne s inquiry to-day. . In general, he said, the buildings were a type common to their period —structural steel and iron work, and not fire-prooied, except some lintels. Even so, no primary structural steel framing failed in such a way as. to contribute to the spread of the fire. It appeared that no opening over seven feet wide had been equipped with fire or smoke doors.'some openings had been bricked or otherwise closed, and the doors were self-clos-ing. The statutes, regulations. and bylaws dealing with the structural design of buildings, fire protection a:iu egress in the enristchurch lire were tne- Factories’ Act, the Fire Dugout Act, and the by-laws oi the Council. As the seals of by-laws Nos. 2o amt 29 were not affixed by the council until after the by-laws were expressed to come into force the uylaws became invalid, said Mr Somers. The position was discovered in u-my, 1947. The result was that until that date the by-laws had been opexfiu-. in fact, but not in law. “It is provided that buildings m, ■ than two storeys high (other. tbar ; approved fire-proof buildings > have alternative stairways”, said Mr Somers. •me advantages of the standardised building code have been recognised oy the City Council, which has consistently supported the preparation of such a code, and portions issued by the Standards Institute in 1939 were adopted by the council the following year. The sections still.m come include those related to fire prevention and hazards”, added Mr Somers NO COUNCIL FIRE DRILL ■Replying to Mr C. S. Thomas for the accident underwriters. Mr Somers said that fire drill had not been carried out. by the City Council in its rmunicipal offices, except m war time. ~ T “Yet we had Mr Lascelles crossexamining Mr Kenner.ii Ballantyne on why Ballantyne’s had no fire drill! remarked Mr Thomas. Mr C. G. Penlington (for the Fira Board): “Don’t you think any alterations, such as those caried out at Ballantyne’s, should have been referred to the board for consideration?” Mr Somers: “Yes, in some cases. The Commission adjourned until Tuesday, when Mr G. G. -G. Watson (for the Crown) will cross-examine Mr Somers. . r ... Three City Council members of the Fire Board’ will be questioned next week on municipal control of fire brigades. An insurance adjuster will be called by the fire underwriters to give details of Ballantyne’s insurances. and a principal, and employees, of Thompson and Dorreen, electrical contractors for the installation of the cable in 1936, will be called.