APPEAL FOR CARE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 303, 22 December 1937, Page 15

APPEAL FOR CARE.

CAMPERS' FIRES. DANGER TO BUSH AREAS. £500,000 LOSS THIS YEAR. {By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON; Tuesday. With the advent of the year's principal holiday season, it is necessary to recall to the minds of everyone appeals that have recently been made for the greatest care with all campers' fires" said the Commissioner of State Forests ® ?° n ' F - Langstone, this evening. Ihe extremely fine weather of November was accompanied by the most disastrous forest fires that the Dominion has seen for at least 20 years, the Minister continued. "The value of timber that could have been cut now from trees destroyed bv fire between November 29 and December 1 was at least £500,000. This takes no acount of immature timber, both State and private, which would have grown to future values. Three days of carelessness wasted millions of feet of the Dominion's timber rescoures, and cost the country hundreds of pounds of direct but unproductive outlay on firefighting.

.that have sine© ensued mar have lulled the fears of many, but a return of fine and promising weather, which we welcome for everyone's enjoyment, has made the fire danger as acute as ever. All over the country men are standing by without any Christmas leave to he in readiness to combat anv outbreak. The Government appeals to all those who are holiday-making in the open to reinforce their efforts bv mak ing absolutely certain that every fire is lit in a harmless place, and is completely extinguished after use. Certain features of the climate, as recorded by the meteorological services, were this year the most dangerous for fire ever shown in oft years of records. The damage can be absolutely nil if all will co-operate in the campaign to enjoy the countryside without burning it," concluded Mr. Langstone.