FIFTY YEARS AGO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22628, 16 January 1937, Page 8

FIFTY YEARS AGO

HUGE BUSH FIRE AT THAMES Reports of a huge bush re ' raged for over a week in the district and destroyed well over £ worth of valuable timber, were g'J® proruineuce in the New ( r o . Herald 50 years ago. Indignation i' such a great loss should apparenty' caused through carelessness w^s^ 01 . in several quarters, and the flowing is an extract editorial lished on January 17, I&S< "It is said that in this particular case a thousand pounds worth timber has been sacrificed, and it » estimated that over a hundied sand pounds' worth has been lost in. » similar way in the district c * ll . nn " f . one season. It is easy to bee that from the careless use of a single ma c . country may lose more in a day■ m two than the whole value acciuing the rise in the price of wool. "In these circumstances, the iaw justly severe against offenders, bu apart from the severe penalties that are sure to be enforced against ay man wilfully or negligently causing the firing of timber, it does speak badly for human nature that men should so ill-dispositioned as to carelessly cawe such loss. The recklessness that throws a blazing match away into dry gra..9, or that leaves,'a fire, lighted co °* ing purposes,' to burn ib*elf out in til bush, is little shdrt of criminality.