AFTER THE BUSH FIRES

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 January 1939, Page 7

AFTER THE BUSH FIRES

LIFE AND PROPERTY LOSSES

AIDING THE REFUGEES

[by CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.]

MELBOURNE, January 16.

Light to heavy rain at nearly all danger points early to-day, ended, temporarily at least. Victoria’s bushfire peril. A thorough drenching is needed to extinguish lite smouldering trees which otherwise will burn for weeks.

To-day’s grim reckoning shows that the fires left a destructive wake of at least 70 dead and 1,500 homeless refugees. It is too early yet to assess the damage to property, but estimates place it at £1,500,000. Led by the Government, various organisations are mobilising a supply of food and clothes and preparing to shelter the homeless for at least three weeks. Medical opinion is given that the sudden change to cool weather after the scorching heat of last week is likely to produce a new danger to refugees of deferred shock. The body of a man was found today in blackened ruins at the Penrose fire.

Forestry experts at the Canberra scenic, congress decided to agitate for a conference of all States to investigate bushfire prevention. At least, twenty victims are in hospitals. Some are in a critical condition, suffering from severe burns. One man died at Kynetown Hospital of shock after burns. Two men are still missing.

To-night more than £55,000 had been subscribed for the relief funds opened by the Lord Mayor, the newspapers and the radio stations. Already, fifty vanloads of provisions and relief supplies have been sent to the stricken areas. A Red Cross headquarters staff of fifty are co-operating with hundreds of volunteers in organising relief distributions. The Premier, Mr Dunstan, intends making a tour of the burnt out districts to ascertain the best way for the Government to organise a restoration.

A check made to-day shows that seventy-three towns and townships have, to a greater or less extent, suffered damage. A total of 10SS houses, fifty mills, and thirty-five other buildings, valued at £421,000 —not counting the contents—were destroyed. The value of the forests burnt is conservatively estimated at one. million pounds. The towns which were the worst losers were: —Dromana, forty-three houses valued at £20,750. Rubicon, one hundred houses. £25,000. Woods Point, one hundred and forty-three houses, £23,750. Warrandyke, one hundred houses, £25,000. Moojec, forty houses, £21,000. Omeo, twenty houses and eleven shops, £20,000. Healcsville, eleven houses and four guest houses, £26,000. The demand is now made for a Royal Commission to inquire into the cause of the fires and also methods cf preventing their repetition. Sadly, many homeless from the districts nearer Melbourne went to-day to survey the. ruins of what was once their pride. Many dairy farmers, whose homes represented their life work, found them heaps of ashes among blackened wastes, and sifting of the ruins failed to reveal any trace of articles of value. Most of the refugees are still horror struck and dazed, and are unable fully to realise their loss. Rain to-day, only’ saddened them more, they realising had it come last week, life would have gone on as usual for them.

There was an ironic contrast, in the country to-day, when cars in many places went splashing through mud where fires had raged yesterday. Amateur radio operators, with portable transmitting and receiving sets, gave valuable services in maintaining communication in the fire areas. At a meeting the Melbourne City Council to-day decided to give £5OOO to the relief of distress.

N.S.W. COOL SPELL.

SYDNEY, January 16

Comparatively cool weather has prevailed all along the seaboard of New South Wales since Saturday evening, affording much-needed relief. But. for this change the death-roll would undoubtedly have been much greater. Temperatures along the coast are now back to 66 degrees. Light rain has fallen all to-day and shows signs of continuing. The Weather Bureau forecasts that inland temperatures, however, will remain high, especially in the far west. Seven more deaths since yesterday have occurred from the heat, four at Broken Hill, two at Coba, and one at Bourke.

Rain is reported to be falling in several parts of the State, chiefly in the south-east, where it. will be most welcome.

N.Z. BOY SCOUTS. SYDNEY, January 16. Out of three hundred New Zealand Boy Scouts who are remaining in Sydney, there are only forty left in the camp at Bradfield, the remainder being billeted in Sydney homes. The contingent leader reports that the New Zealanders have found the heat wave verv trying, but have stood it. remarkably well. Five of the boys were overcome, and were placed in the camp.hospital for two or three days’ rest. The general health of the whole contingent lias been very good. The boys have been taken to baths and beaches. Oilier New Zealand visitors spoken •o were net unduly affected by the boat wave, and now that the conditions arc more moderate, they are glad to have been present when the heat record was broken.