N.Z. FIRES

Hokitika Guardian, 10 August 1931, Page 2

N.Z. FIRES

STRINGENT PREVENTATIVE '• ■ PLANS. ( fty Prest Associationj WELLINGTON, August 8. Big waste" by fire in New Zealand hp» caused the authoiit-jes to adopt frpsh methods to lessen it. Mr do Perrelle. (Minister of Internal Affairs): stated To-day that figures slewing the Dominion's fire waste were placed s before him -by the Government Inspector of Fire Brigades, Mr Girling Butcher/ These made it plain that some /drastic measures were necessary. Mr de la Perrelle said, that, according to the reports, the fire losses actually paid by the insurance companies during the five years 1926 1930 amounted to £5,930,873. To this figure must be added the uninsured fire loss which was conservatively estimated at 12i per cent, of the insured loss, j The total fire waste for the Dominion for the five years, therefore, reaching the staggering total of £6, : 648,482, or an average yearly expenditure of £1,350,000. The loss figures for 1930 were slightly lower than this average, but information received by the Inspector of Fire Brigades for the first six months of this year indicated that, apart altogether from the enormous fire loss, due to the earthquake in Hawkes Bay, the loss for the present year would be considerably higher than in 1929. A committee consisting of representatives of Government Departments and the insurance companies was set up to consider the fire waste problem. The' Committee brought down, an excellent report but the remedial measures suggested! involved considerable expenditure, and nothing further had been done, owing to the difficulty of raising the necessary finance, Proposals involving a greatlyreducedi expenditure were now being prepared by the Internal Affiairs Deportment. These provide for the cooperation of the Police, Justice, and Stf te Fire Departments, with the Inspector of Fire Brigades, and the Insuianee Companies. Arrangements had been made that the cost of the work should; be divided between the insurance companies and the Departments mentioned. It ’was proposed to inaugurate a fire prevention -“drive" throughout the country, and as the first step in the programme, it had been decided to increase greatly the numb-pr of coromal inquiries held into fires. The Inspector'of Fire Brigades, acting under the powers of the Fire Brigades Act. will obtain f”om every Fire Board Superintendent an immediate report on any fire where there are suspicious circumstances, indicating incendiarism.