FIRE RAVAGES FACTORY

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 520, 24 November 1928, Page 1

FIRE RAVAGES FACTORY

Big Blaze at Eden Terrace

CLOTHING STORE NOW CHARRED SHELL

FED by dry timbers, inflammable dress materials, samples. and cloths of all kind, fire roared through the building of the Manchester Costume Company shortly after 11.30 this morning. At least £5,000 worth of stock and materials were destroyed, while both floors in the interior of the factory were reduced to charred shells.

Situated with a frontage on Xikau Street, below Eden Terrace, and within a few yards of the Mount Eden railway station, the factory is a large, two-storeyed wooden building. Portions of it are said to bo old. but various alterations have been made from time to time. From 30 to 40 employees were at work until 10.45 a.m., when operations ceased for the week-end. Three executive members, including Mr. H. Winters, remained until a little after 11 o’clock. According to Mr. Winters everything was in order and they locked up as usual before leaving. Half an hour later the lower workroom was blazing fiercely .and the flames were bursting into the room above. The alarm was given by a railwayman, and a fast turn-out enabled the brigade to attack the flames before they had reached the main structural timbers and walls of the building. Two motors arrived ,and leads of hose were introduced from two street frontages.

By this time the flames had burst through the roof, lined with skylights, and a crash oC glass preceded a burst of smoke that climbed in the still air and hung high over Eden Terrace. Considering the nature of the building and its flimsy contents, the brigade made a remarkably efficient save, the fire being caught and held before it had extended further. The stock on either floor was, however, completely destroyed, and the interior of the building, including the office portion, was hopelessly blackened and damaged. It is considered that the fire had its origin in the engine-room, this being borne out by the fact that the part of the building and the basement were severely damaged. the interior littings of all kinds being reduced to ashes. Mr. A. F. McArthur is the managingdirector of the Manchester Costume Company. He is at present out of town and the insurances on the building and its contents are unknown. election and the women got no representation.” The speaker then went on to tell her audience how her committee disbanded, and left he* to make hpr own arrangements with the assistance of her secretary. Later she was again pressed to take another stand on the Prohibition and Bible-in-sehools question, and a suggestion was made from an outside source that she should retire, giving ill-health as a reason, a suggestion which she declined to accept. “We were left to carry on a lonely hard fight,” she said. “I do not know whether Miss Melville will stand again,” continued the speaker. “I certainly won’t—not until there is some change in the attitude of the women and their organisations. I feel that Mr. Coates did the right thing to nominate two womeh for Auckland, and I feel certain that he knew nothing of the thiftgs that happened here. Also I feel that the country ha 3 treated him abominably, and the demonstration in Wellingon on election night cannot be forgiven. “In Auckland East I had a fine fight with Labour, and I feel that the trouble at my meetings was ndt caused by Labour. If it was it was by a poor class than had been engaged by the other party, which had hoodlums to break up our meetings, and the result hais been the sort of men you have in Parliament now.” i