The Northern Advocate Daily "Northland First." FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1937. FIRE DANGERS

Northern Advocate, 10 December 1937, Page 4

The Northern Advocate Daily " Northland First ."

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1937. FIRE DANGERS

Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper.

The approach of the holiday .season, when thousands of people will engage in camping and picnicking in the beauty spots of the Dominion, makes urgent an appeal to avoid tire dangers. The i menace of fire during the holiday period this year will be more than usually grave, for, in spite of the rain which has fallen during the past week, there is reason to expect that the whole countryside will he in a dry condition at Christmas and New Year. Holiday-makers include a large proportion of people who have little or no idea of handling fire in the open, or of the necessary precautions to avoid conflagrations. A. match thoughtlessly thrown from a ear window, for instance, may do serious damage. Fires to “boil the hilly” are lighted in dangerous places, and frequently against living trees or decayed logs; indeed, the acts of carelessness reported every holiday season pass understanding. In view of the dryness of wood and vegetation, country residents are contemplating the coming holiday season with much uneasiness. A disastrous fire has already occurred in the milled over forest adjoining Tongariro National Park', and there is reason to fear for the safety of more forests, as well as other assets, ft is a matter of national interest that everything possible should he done to promote a fire prevention spirit among the people

of the Dominion. Now is the time to prepare for possibilities. This makes useful a suggestion by the Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand that it would bo well worth while for local and State authorities to obtain information about the work-

ing' of the bush fire brigades in Australia. In Victoria there is an association of such brigades, for which the secretarial work is provided by the Forests Commission. It is a voluntary movement with a membership of 13,000. Each member gives his service without any hint of obligation. He pledges himself to assist in fire-fighting whenever called upon and in the majority of eases caefh brigade arranges for the provision of its own equipment, fire-fighting appliances and transport. Absolutely no Governmental financial assistance is provided, with the exception that where a brigade’s district includes or adjoins forest reserves, the Forests Commission gives portion of the equipment in return for the brigade’s assistance in suppressing fires which may be burning in or threatening Crown reserves. The spirit of mutual self-help is thereby engendered and encouraged. The principle underlying the bush fire brigades might well be put into practice by holiday-makers, but it is above all necessary to prevent the outbreak of fire. The ultimate solution of the fire problem is to prevent the occur-, rence of outbreaks, or, at least, those duo to human agency. Care and thoughtfulness can do much in this direction.