AFTER THE FIRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 130, 25 February 1908, Page 2

AFTER THE FIRES.

CLAIMINC THE STRAY ; CATTLE. BIG TASK AHEAD. " To anyone wlio has not seen the country after a bush fire (writes our travelling correspondent), the sight must bo oho of tlie utmost.desolation. , I,had heard of, and read in tho newspapers, about tho fire-swept districts around Horoeka and Pongaroa, b f iitwas quito unprepared to sae what i did; ' Practically tlie 'bulk-of ■'•Horoeka. grass lands are wiped out. 1 made earcful-inquiry,'and was informed that over. 4000 acres will have to bo. re-sown. . Mile after mile, one sees nothing 'but blackened paddocks, with fences down in all directions; and the saddest thing of all is that'hardly a sheep is to be seen, where only a short time'before every* paddock was full of them. •' ■ ' lmpi)s3ibie to Muster. The wholo district is, practically one huge paddock, on every road one sees slieep wandering about. No ono is taking any trouble to muster. They could not .hold tho stock if they did, having 110 fences yet.' When the Settlers have got_ their boundaries once moro fenced in, it is intended to have a'general muster all over the country. Sheep will be run into the various yards, and settlors will then go and pick out their sheep. It will bo' a great job, as I saw some sheep which had wandered miles away. ', 1 List of Earmarks at Post Offices. A' -very.,good suggestion was made ,to me by , a farmer .at Puketoii. . He; said : sheep: would now bo so mixed, and many so far from; home,, ,that : some , fanners i ,would not know the earmarks;'and his idea was.that at every post office within, say, ien miles,-,a list, showing the earmarks of, . all the sheepfarmers invthat area-;should be' exhibited.:' It is a good idea, because considerable loss is bound to Occur through farmers not knowing whose sheep they have mustered in, and thus being unable to send word to the owners should they net have gone themselves' to :pick out .their,own slieep. • W .-;;; Plies, of Roast Sho3p. , .i I, think the saddest sight 1 of- alUwas,<to sea the sheep which had been' burnt on Bishop Bros. 1 property. I rode across country; and long before I saw them the stench was horriblo. Then,, as I crossed 'over a ridge;-'I began to'see an odd sheep hero and there. Soon they lay in. little lots of'ten or more. As I got farther on they were piled up.in heaps. Some seemed only slightly burned, others very much so, while others again -wero just mero bodies,'the' legs being quite buiiied off. And in other places- there was only a heap of white, burnt bones. I hopo never to see such a sight again. These samo farmers—Bishop; Bros.—havo sufferea the most severely, in the district, not .only in loss of stock, but miles of fencing has to be re-oreetcd; and those who know, will understand what that when they have, to sow 400 bushels: of grass seed. ' • A Cheerful People. ' : : There are four;other farms which have also';

boon swept almost bare by the fires—those of .Messrs;. Porteous; . Urquhart, Thomas,. and; Lund. Mr. Thomas haa also lost about 300 sboej), and, of .course, a largo quantity, of fencing.^' And 'now; v/liat; is the position? Now that they are able to see what loss and damage has taken place how are they taking it? They aro ono and all in. tho best of spirits and.looking on the cheerful side. The worst .is over, and they nov." say if the next, twelve, months can be tided over they' will be all right apiri:: v ; tt : will, ,be a pinch for.- some of 1 them; • All say how.lmuch bettor their farms will be when ,thcy : aro re-grassed and .feasts.■;in. better order. On some of' tho. farms where' they had.bad burns .'they*: have been cdmpletely : cleaned up.y Oa one which I rode oyer before the fire, a, cattle beast could 1 only get about 'with, difficulty j'/now one can canter, over uearly every, acre of'it.. ■ . -v.* Only Rain WanUd. - • i l ' , There is no doubt, they are a cheerful s'et : of farmers Jiii Horoeka. There is not a"long face, among them, f-All. they want-'now. is ; rain. There is a corisiderablo Irish population in tile community,' and ..they, ' too,.>re quite jolly! and are'determined to .see'only the best-.'side 'of ■ things. 1 Thero is not- a jollier, man • among. them : tlian Tim M'Quin his cheerfulness, in spite ,of his heavy, losses,, is most infectious, and his wife is just as cheerful as. her husband. How in tho World so many houses -are:left, standing is amazing. The country'was a sea'of fire for.iniles..;

Hslp from tha Government. Tho Government is assisting ■ those who require, it, ' by providing them with .grass seed, to be paid for in three years,: charging them, four, per 1 cent.,' interest/The, Cfown iiands ranger was in the district the other day, interviewing those settlers who required help.;' This isan occasion when further assistance cbuld be given theseplucky .farmers by a; remission: of rent, as has been done .in other, cases where farmers have had a bad time, like the Hatuma settlers, for, instance, only the Hor,oeka ; men-are in far worse plight. They , have not-only .lost grass - and fences, but their stock has either been, burned or lias had to be sold at a 1 great loss. • All' hands are asbusy- as bees! repairing fences, boundaries first, fences aftorwards. ' ■' '' 'v./.''- \