THE LAMBTON QUAY FIRE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8276, 1 November 1906, Page 5

THE LAMBTON QUAY FIRE.

THE CORONER'S ENQUIRY.

By Telegraph—Press Association.

WELLINGTON, October 31. The enquiry into the Lambtoo Quay fire was onntinued to day.

Patrick Scanlon, one of the pioprieiora of the auctioneering estao liihment in which the fire originated, was closely examined as co the condition of the business, and as to tbe increase of the insurance from £3OO to £6OO. The insurance ran out on the 26th inst. The fke occurred on the 22nd iusfc. Wi'ness could not produce any records to show the quantity of stook and bad no clear idea as to the financial position of the business. The records were destroyed in the fire. He had been an old age pensioner three years ago, but his post tion had improved sinoe, and he put £IOO into the business. Voluminous evidence was taken regarding the relations, finanoial and otherwise, of the persons who formed the Wellington Auctioneering Company, in whose premises the fire ooourred. Max Aronstein, the manager, said he last visited the premises between 9.30 and 10. u'cluok on the Sunday evening before the fire. He went there with his wife. He did not use any mutches. John Morris, otherwise Schapiro, said up to three years ago he was a partner ia'the business. He left because Deideriob, after Symiloff left, made a very improper suggestion to witness. He said: "Let's stook 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 blaze." At that time there was about £2OO insurance on the premises', and there was about £IOO worth of stook there. Some of it was new furniture, and some of it second-hand. Witness went on to say that on September 28th he visited the shop with a Mr Assohyner, of Christohurch, to look over the place, as he heard the business was for sale. They had a good 10-k at the stook as thatwas theobieot of their visit. He knew a good deal about furniture, and was a furnisher of houses, fie would not give more than £IOO for the lot. Inspector Ellison: Then you would not give £BOO for the stook? Witness (in astonishment): £800! never! Where was the £800? It was not there. I say moat emphatically 1 would not cive £IOO for it. Joseph Brown, who was emplojed as storeman at the Wellington Auctioneering Company's premises for about three years, said that there was a fair stook in the shop on the Saturday before the fire. He would value it at about; £9OO.