FIRES IN THE NORTH.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 35, 10 February 1913, Page 7

FIRES IN THE NORTH.

"It seems to mc." remarked Mr. Maurice Casoy to a ''Star - ' representative this morning, "as if prrtty well the whole of the North is on lire. I am sure there was a fire spreading from eight to ten miles when 1 was up at Puhipuhi. The Oovemment plantation. which cost £20,000, has been wiped out this time. The fire reached from Puhipuhi to Kimanakea, crossed to Kaimanuku, and was heading up to Paramata. That was the biggest fire 1 saw, but there were plenty of others wherever I went. A man who can be proved to start a bush fire this time of the year onght to go to gaol without an option. Near Helena Bay 1 saw some poor follows who had been continuously fighting a fire from before noon the previous day. In a dry season like the present one It behoves visitors, picnickers, and especially smokers to be particularly careful, for everything is ready to burn. Of course, "the poor gumdigger gets the blame very often, but he does not start fires weather liUe this. He knows the danger of doing so. The carelessly-thrown lighted match from a smoker has, I am afraid, a lot to answer for in a season like this." In this connection it should not be forgotten that in the North large areas of felled bush could not be burned off last season, as it was too moist. No doubt settlers have taken the advantage offered by the long dry spell this year to burn off all the areas that are ready felled. The big demand that has set iv for grass and clover seeds shows that large areas are to be surface sown once the ■ r iii~ set in.