NO PERMIT ISSUED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22588, 17 March 1948, Page 6

NO PERMIT ISSUED

TAURAU FIRE CONTROL MEASURES AUTHORITY UNDER ACT "It looks as though the catchment hoard issues permits for lighting fires, and the county council looks after them if they get out of hand,” stated Mr. J. R. Hair, chairman of the P.B. Catchment Board, discussing at yesterday’s meeting of the board the provisions of the .. Forest and Rural Fires Act, 1947.. The discussion arose out of a question by Mr. H. J- F. Tombleson, who asked whether the fire which started last week in the Taurau Valley, and swept a considerable area of grass in the Te: Arai Valley, had been lit with author--ity.

The chairman stated that no permit had been obtained before the fire waslit, and, in order to establish the position he had asked the clerk, Mr. A. G; Hicks, to prepare a report on the application of the Forest and Rural Fires Act.

This report indicated that in normal periods the issue of fire permits was under the control of the catchment board. The county council was, however, the tire authority for the district under the Act, and exercised power in the event of the fire hazard being increased to a marked extent by prolonged droughts or other circumstances. Prohibiting Fires In such event, the county council coidd give notice under the Act prohibiting all lighting of fires in the open air and also the prosecution of logging and milling operations which might increase the hazard. Once the close season had been proclaimed. it was pointed out. no permits for fires could be issued until the proclamation had been lifted. This was particularly important for districts where large blocks of standing timber were present, but the possibility of log and grass fires sweeping settled country was also covered by the Act. The board discussed the report briefly and Mr. P. A. M. Reveirs, who in addition to being a member of the board is conservator of forests for the Rotorua district, gave a brief outline of the manner in which the Act operated to protect the State forests from fire. The control was extremely close in the forest conservation districts, he said, and no fires could be lit at any time without permits. The board adopted the report.