THE WELLINGTON FIRE ENQUIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81878, 1 November 1906, Page 2

THE WELLINGTON FIRE ENQUIRY.

INTERESTING EVIDENCE. THE AUCTIONEERING COMPANY'S CONCERNS. "MAKE IT BLAZE." l'«r Press Association. \\ ellington, October 31. At the enquiry concerning' the re cent big fuv on Lambton (Juay> voiu minous evidence was taken regarding lilt reiat.ons. financial a.id otneiwise, of the peiscin- who formed the W'ell.ngton Auctioneering Company, it whose premises [lie lire occurred. Max Aronsiein, the manager, saic. he last visited the premises between 9.30 and 10 on the Sunday evening uefore the lire. Ho went there w.t;, lus wife. He did not use any mat-

John Morris*, otherwise Schapiro, said that up to three years ago ho wa> a partner i n the business. Ho left beeaiise Diedcrieh, after Symiloff left, made a very improper suggestion 10 mm. lie said, "Let's stock the place and get a heavy insurance on it It's an old wooden place, and it would not take very much to make it b aze. At that time there was about £2OO insurance on the premises and there was about worth 0! stock there. Some of it was new lurmture and somo of it secondhand. Witness wont on to say thai 0.1 September 28 he visited the shop with a Mr Assehner, of Christchurch. 10 look over the place, as he had heard Hie business was for sale. They hat, a good look at the stock, as that was. the object of their visit. He knew a good deal about furniture, and wat a furnisher of houses. He would not give nioro than ,£IOO for the lot. Inspector Ellison: Then you would nut give £BOO for the stock ?

Witness (m astonishment); 0 o? Never. Where was the i'Soo? li was not there. 1 say most emphatically I would not give £IOO for it. Joseph Brown, who was employed as storeman at the Wellington Auctioneering Company's premises foi about three years, sa.d there was a lair stock in the shop on the Saturday before the tiro. Ho would value it at about.£9oo.

Patrick Scanlan, one of the proprietors of the auctioneering e»tab 1 aliment in which the fire originated, was closely examined as to the condition of the business and as to the 'nurease of the insurance from £3OO to .£(100. The insurance ran out on the 26th inst, and the fire occurred on the 22nd inst. Witness could not produce any records to show the quantity of stock, and had no clear idea as to the financial position of the business. The records wei'o destroyed in tho fire. He had been an old age pensioner three years ago, but his position had improved since, and he put £IOO into the business,.