“ABSURD CABLES.”

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 27 March 1926, Page 8

“ABSURD CABLES.”

VICTORIAN BUSH FIRES. • ‘ STEAMSHIPS DESTROYED. ’ ’ When the recent bush tires in Victoria began to subside, the folk across the Tasman by' some means became aware that highly'-coloured accounts of the disaster were appearing in some papers oversea. Questions were; even asked in the Commonwealth Parliament, and tlio Federal Prime Minister (Mr Bruce) was urged to have some sort of censorship exercised over “ absurd cables’’ —as one member termed them —also that he take steps to assure the world that Australia had not been burned off the map. Perhaps some Australian oversea imparted the information about absurd cables, for there had then been no time for papers to reach Australia from America, for instance. But some American exchanges arrived here a day or two ago, and their accounts of the bush fires in Victoria are quite sufficient to support the supposition tli.a.t some anxious Aussie abroad must have cabled homo to ascertain whether his native country were still in being or Jiad gone up in smoke. Sea relieads, o±‘ course, were a. plenty in these accounts, and the descriptions were liorid, not to say lurid. The -picture was painted in brilliant hues, and the colours were splashed on.-' Perhaps that was to be expected, and had the facts been adhered to, no one heed have been annoyed very much. But some of the statements put forward were just a trifle too fantastic. One or two examples must suffice. We are told, for instance, that “hundreds ’ ’ of people took refuge in a “wooden” church, which “resisted the flames three times.” Had it been an asbestos church, the plain, common person might have understood. But a timber which will resist fire has not y r et been discovered in Australia. If it had beeu, uo doubt that would account for the “hundreds” who crowded into the building. Listen to this! “By the illumination provided by' the blaze, huge erwods witnessed the burial of six fire victims in West Warburton cemetery. Similar scenes were witnessed at Yarra J unction cemetery. ’ ’ A night burial evidently, but not “darkly at dead of night.” And “ huge crowds” suggests either an excursion train, or that the fire-fighters suspended work despite “the death that raged around them and the crash of ruin loud.” After this, no one will be surprised to learn that tlio fires destroyed several “steamships.” Steamships! And we all thought that those fires were at least a little distance inland!