FIRE WASTE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5336, 8 October 1928, Page 3

FIRE WASTE.

6 CONDITIONS IN DOiMINION. “FROM BAD TO WORSE.” Fire) waste in New Zealand is steadily going from a bad to a worse position, according to the axupluaj report of the) Inspector of Fire Brigades presented to Parliament. The report, states that tltei number qf lire* calls received, throughout the fotry-eight fire districts for the nine ended March 31, 1928, totalled 2541, or only 199 fewer than the 2740 call-: received during the preceding twelve months endfed Juiie 30, 1927 —proportionately an increase o 20 per cen,t. The property fines for &Mhe same periods, restively 1044 ■ - as against. 1291, give a propoftinate increase of 7 per cent. only. The rei mainder of the calls fqr the nine * month-- are made up as fellows: Chimney fires. 216; busih. grass, and rub--Skbish fires. 776; false alarm:,, 414; W out-of-ilistrict. fires. 91. The) fine. loss. ■ ' throughout the fire district., on(ly for tlie nine months amOjiinted to £498,671. as compared with £516,366 fol the preceding twelve mo l nj,hs, a proportionate increase ojf 22 per cent. The four heaviest, district loss.es occurred in Auckland (£110,905), Wellington (£89,415). Christchurch (£67,010), and Kaiapni (£25.984). The fire Io .s throughout New Zealand for the twelve months ended Dqccjmber. 31, 1927, is es.tima.ted at £1,331,508. This, with the population of the Do.mii.iion g\fer the same period estimated at gives an average, loss of " 1 18 s 4%d per head of population. T’e ■ lops in' the fire) districts, for the same period amounted to £502.944 which, with a population of 544‘,303 resident J within the- districts, iA gives a per capita loss q£ 18S " vhiblt the loss, for .the 902,707 persons resident other thaji in fire districts 'amounted tc ; £828.564, an average o 18s 414 d. P &r capita. “Serious as the wWfire conditions, in New Zealand have- been for years past, the foregoing, figures only too, clearly demonstrate that the position is steadily going from bad to, worse, and there are good reasons] for ithej that the figures in question . are really an underestimate of the - actual loss,” the report continues. Although the excessive flre-waste pre}-, valent in this Dominion has been prominently before ' the public for years past, very little hasi bedn? d»i ne ' —certainly no 'Organised effort hal ' been made—to reduce this tremendous, waste of t'hei wealth of the community. “Incendiarisfm is returned as the cause of forty-one fires,. and! thirtytwo fires occurred in unoccupied buildings. The following particulars are) some of the instances taken from , the fire reports in! proqf that careless W ness, is the main, 1 facjtor in the ojutT break of fire. Matches thrown down. : alight, smoking and s,mO|Ul(]ering c,ig-|jyLgarette-butts are- returned as the of 159 fire's ; sparks from wash-iiig-icoppeirs and dome,sic fireplaces, as ■as accountable for ninety-six; electric irc ; n>\ ga.s-rings, and; kerosene (Waters, for fifty ; lighted candles and live ashes for forty-three, striking matches, spi'oking, and naked lights in proximity to benziniq for thirty. Lighted matches thrown down, are re-. ' sponsibleilai shrdlr dlurdl cmfw mfw turned a's responsible for the Iqss, of £24,119, smoking and cigarette-butts for £16,165. sparks from wasjiingcoppers and dtojniestic, fireplaces for £13.112. domestic electric irons and ■ ra,diators i for. £10,483. clothes airing before t.h'e> fire for £3,665—a loss amounting to £67,544, practically all due to sheer carelessness, in some . xform.” ■ —