1918.J 
The N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology. 
227 
according to the nature of the building, and are affected to a great extent 
by climatic conditions. For instance, after a spell of wet weather tests are 
frequently low, while the same installations would show a higher test when 
the dry weather sets in. Again, a higher test would be expected in an old 
wooden building than in a recently built structure of brick or concrete, 
though the workmanship and material in the latter case are of the very 
best. Motors when first tested are invariably low ; that is on account of 
the dampness held in the windings. It is usual in such cases for the inspector 
to retest within a certain period; and unless there is an actual fault in the 
motor the second test is invariably higher, and that is due to the action of 
the current, in passing through the windings, generating sufficient heat to 
dry out the moisture. 
The value of periodical inspection and testing should not be overlooked 
by owners of large installations, especially in the case of factories where 
a number of motors are in operation. It is not often that an electrician 
is to be found on the engineering staff of these establishments, and the 
engineer in charge does not, as a rule, possess the technical knowledge 
which would enable him to anticipate trouble on the electrical side before 
it actually occurs. Under these conditions I think it would be of great 
assistance, both to the firms and its engineer, if a periodical inspection of 
all the electrical equipment were made by an electrical engineer. 
The fires attributed to electrical causes in the Dominion are remarkably 
few when it is considered that at the end of 1916 there were fifty-eight 
supply-stations in operation or under construction, with a total of 45,000 
connections (approximately), showing a rapid increase during the past 
four years, considering that in December, 1912, the total was only 17,095 
connections. I attribute the small number of fires to the good standard 
of work maintained by contractors, and the system of rigid inspections 
carried out by the authorities. No matter how good the standard may be, 
once inspections are dropped laxity is bound to creep in, and there can 
only be one result—a big waste by fire. 
The following records of electrical fires are taken from the Quarterly, 
a paper published by the National Fire Protection Association, each one 
of which might have been avoided:— 
No. 1 : Finished clothing had been packed tightly around an unprotected electric - 
light bulb on a shelf, but current was off at the switch. On the morning of the fire a 
visiting electrician tested out the circuits, turned current into this line, and left the 
light burning. Cloth began to smoulder, but the fire was promptly discovered and 
extinguished. 
No. 2 : This fire was caused by a short circuit where an electric-light cord was in 
touch with a metal clothes-rack. Current was not turned off, a short circuit ensued, 
and practically all garments on the rack were damaged. A table near by was also 
slightly charred. 
No. 3 : Mismanagement by an employee caused a short circuit on the wires of 
an electric motor located on the third floor, resulting in a firing of the insulation and 
throwing of sparks among surrounding inflammable material. The fire spread rapidly 
and extended to the floor above. A panic occurred, and several lives were lost by 
leaping from windows and suffocation. The employees were mostly women. 
No. 4 : An electric iron, with current turned on, was left standing on a wooden 
table covered with tin, the tin being covered in its turn with cloth. The iron ignited 
the cloth covering ; this burned around the edge of the table, fell to the floor, and set 
fire to some clippings. 
No. 5 : This fire was caused by the sparking of the rotary starter of the elevator- 
motor. The starter had two sets of points—one for forward or up, the other for reverse 
speed. One of the points was slightly bent, making a poor contact. The starter was 
located oil the second floor, and was provided with a sheet-iron hood, but this was not 
vapour-proof. On the third floor, alongside the open elevator-shaft, a galvanized-steel 
