THE BUSH FIRES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12758, 7 January 1905, Page 5

THE BUSH FIRES.

OFFICIAL REPORTS OF LOSS. FURTHER LOSS OF LIFE. By Telegraph—Press Association Copyright. Sydney, January 6. The Railway Commissioners are allowing a large reduction on the carriage of stock from, and fodder, fencing, and wire to the burned districts. Officers detailed by the Government to report on the damage gay that in some districts it has not been severe, and that in them only a limited amount of assistance is needed. hrom the Burrowa district an officer supplies a long list of the losses. Besides large areas of grass, much fencing has been burned; also valuable crops, sheds, arid machinery have been destroyed. The biggest losers are: Davison, 7000 acres of grass, £300 worth of hay; Mr. Hurley, 10,000 acres of grass; Mr. McGrath, grass, fencing, 1200 wethers and other stock. At Rye Park six homes have been burned. Morgan Brothers have lost 10,000 acres of grass; I'arengo Estate has lost £1000 worth of fencing, besides grass. At Tumut, besides destruction of the settlers', crops over a wide area, about a dozen houses have been burned. At Arentz, 2000 bushels of corn have been, burned, and at Tonkin crops and property, of the value of £800, have been '"destroyed. ' Other reports say that in the Adelong district, Green Hills station lost ail —grasf,, woolshed, and about 4000 sheep. The homestead also was burned. Ellerslie and other large stations have been swept of grass, miles of fencing has been destroyed, -and there has been great loss of stock, outbuildings, and machinery. Mr. Trewjek lost 600 sheep. , : An old man named Dowdell perished when trying to save property, and two others were badly burned when fighting the* flames, and taken to the hospital. The estimated damage done in the Albury district exceeds £200,000. At Cooma, Montgomery's sawmill has been destroyed. BUTTERFLIES AT SEA. Sydney, January 6. Vessels arriving in port report having encountered large numbers of butterflies and other insects many miles out at sea, they having been driven, from land by the heat, THE RELIEF FUNDS. (Received January 1, 12.17 a.m.) Sydney, January 6. The Relief Committee has issued a circular making an appeal for funds. ASSISTANCE FROM NEW ZEALAND. ,-, NOT CONSIDERED NECESSARY. LET TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington! Friday. Tho Mayor of Wellington, received a. cable message tonight from Mr. Oarruthers, the Premier of New South Wales, which indicated that relief funds will be unnecessary in this colony for the sufferers by the fires in Australia. The message, which is a reply to one sent by Mr. Aitken, is as follows : —■ "Fires have ceased. Good rain. The damage is severe, but not as great as at first seemed probable. The local funds being raised will, I hope, suffice tc meet all requirements. I am much gratified: at the | good spirit of Wellington evidenced! to--1 wards sufferers in this State." , In view of the contents, ofjlhis message, > the relief movement suggested at a meeting of citizens in Wellington /to-day will be abandoned. MEETING IN WELLINGTON. [BT telegraph.—press ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Friday. A public meeting, convened by the Mayor, to consider what steps are to be taken to express practical sympathy with the sufferers by the bush fires in Australia, was held to-day, and was largely attended. Among those present was the Hon. A. Pitt (Attorney-General. The Mayor explained that he had cabled to the Premier of New South Wales, asking whether outside assistance, was needed, but at present had received no reply. The Hon. A. Pitt favoured waiting for the reply, and mentioned that he was communicating with the Premier on the subject of relief. Ultimately a motion, expressing sympathy with the sufferers, and adding that citizens desired to express a wish to contribute liberally to any external fund which might be necessary, was carried. MEETING AT WANGANUI. [Br telegraph.— association.] Wangantji, Friday! At a public meeting to-night it was decided to open subscription lists for the relief of sufferers by the Australian buiih tires. A committee was appointed to make a complete canvass of the town. EXCESSIVE GENEROSITY CONDEMNED, A CLERGYMAN RELATES SOME CURIOUS FACTS. N . [BT TELEGRAPH.—OWN COBBESrONDENT.J Wellington, Friday. One feature of to-day's meeting in connection with the proposed Australian bush fires relief fund was a speech by the Rev. P. W. F&irclough, hi condemnation of excessive generosity. Incidentally he related some curious facts about previous relief funds. He said we lived in a world of telegraphs and newspapers, and these disasters lost nothing in the telling. He had been in Austrai lia, and, residing between the lines of the accounts published, ho fancied that the disaster was not such an overwhelming one, and that the people in the States where the thing had occurred, were able to meet it over and over again. When in Brisbane a few years ago ho had mado some inquiries about the relief sent from New Zealand at tho time of a certain flood, and he had found that we had almost made a laughing stock of ourI selves. It got to be a saying, " What, more ! stuff from New Zealand?" The fact was that in every place the people had started out with the idea that they would l>e required to do the whole thing themselves, and the result was that in Brisbane people had to be sent to take the stuff away. In the same way relief was sent on the- occasion of a fire the Taraxiaki district, and visiting the district some time afterwards he had been informed that a very tine bit of road, over which lie drove, had been constructed out of the balance of tho relief fund. The people not knowing wind to do with the sum of £1100 or £1200 remaining after all wants.had been met, had decked that they would have a few miles of good road out of it any way. Other citizens expressed the view that it was better to give too much than too little. J

mi —= M. aaaa -*- -. —ay :;:■■:.:,:■ ■,■> HOW FIRES . OCCUR. STATEMENT BY A RUNHOLDER. [fir TELEGBAPH.—:OWN .CORRESPONDENT.} Wellington, Friday. Mr. James IS. Notl Osborne, husband of Miss Maud Jeffries, the well-known '-' : -i actress, now in Wellington, is a large run- ■* holder in New- South Wales-, being in- j, terested in partnership with hi* brothers in. 11 stations in the Ooulburn, ._ Yasfi, Ravenna, and Southern Tableland districts. i. He is therefore able to speak with autho- " rity concerning the Australian bush (ires. He told a Times representative that he has known a spark to be caught by iho wind and carried from one range to another. 14 miles distant across Lake George, starting there on another station a tire that burned for weeks. If the rain comes the country itself will not take lung in. recovering from the effects of the fire. In a week or two the grass will come on all ■ the sweeter, but there will be a tremendous amount of damage in other respects.. ~ Around Wagga there are a groat number .' of farms, on many of which the harvesting is already in'swing. The great bulk of these crops will be burned, and although many of the farmers insure their " ■ . crops, there will be a great loss above ilia insurance. The damage to fences tight through the burned districts will lie- un- . precedented. Both large squatters and small farmers will suffer. Mr. Osborne has not been particularly advised as to thefate, of his own stations. Though fires are frequently duo to natural causes, they are also occasionally traced to careless swagsmen, or to sparks from railway engine**. Generally speaking, says Mr. Osborne, precautious arc taken to guard against them, but they are probably not so cla* borate as tho.se adopted by the Osborne firm. Where a fire is likely to occur the vegetation around the homestead and wool- . fihed is burnt, and the ground ploughed to a width of a chain all round. Where a railway passes through a run. the same precautions are taken for a distance of a, chain and a-half on each side of the. line. Then, in the hot season, when fires are most likely to occur, .a spring cart or dray is always ready with a 100 gallon tank of water on it, and a horse stands harnessed all day for service in putting out an incipient fire. A pump and hose are also attached, for spraying out fires in the trees.