THE OPUNAKE FIRE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 33, 9 October 1913, Page 7

THE OPUNAKE FIRE.

(From Tuesday's Opunake Times). The blackened ruins are the heritage of a busy set oi' workers and business men in a small way, although large and progressive, as far as the needs of Opunake were concerned. The larfc of many thousands of pounds of good;; is still slowly smouldering. Some seed on the site of the Loan and M.A. Coy. is smoking and giving off a smell that means value; it is not a golden smell, but distinct from a bush burning. To see the last smoke go up makeo one wonder how hard fate deals out. Here men have been battling hard and battling good, with a gleam, a strong gleam of hope at a bend not far off, j and, without warning, here they are pushed back out of sight of the hope- j ful mark, back beyond another difficult j bend. It compels a man to sit down j and think. Whether to go on, chuck j up the hard row, or resign to fate, j The school of adversity is a hard j school. And times.of adversity are! often the opportunities availed of by others who are looking out for chances 'that come by means of misfortunes to others.

In many cases people rise up stronger after being buffeted about for a time by adversity. The words of the late Richard John Seddon come back with striking significance: "I tvould sooner succumb in an effort of Irving than not try at all."

Hawera, Stratford and Eltham towns have each in turn suffered from severe iires. These places have

stronger, more up to date, iind handsome in appearance and apparently freer from fire attack. The progress of these places has been marked from the time of severe losses. It was a turning point in the progress of the towns. Circumstances wer ecertainly more favorable, the price of money was cheaper and 1 labor and material was not such a stiff proposition. Whether the same onward march can he attached to the fate that .hangs as a blight on our town depends on the ability of the sufferers to grapple with misfortune. , Architects, furniture sellers, fire safe agents and .representatives of buiness firms have been concentrating their efforts on Opuhake. But wo have not heard of any rush of money lenders. However, those who have been burnt out speak highly of the way business firms are anxious to assist. In fact they are prepared to pick one up by the collar and push him on. Mr Marshall, who rescued all his belongings from his office, ' carefully placed them on the opposite side df the street —where they roasted cinderlike quite as well as if left to fate in his own ' "office. Includfcd in the roasted-menu a .. . Many live-cTniiles awav from Opunake lost articles. One bbugh't two-sacks of potatoes' a-ti the sale yards iind carted them-to'-one of the shops in town for safety. The shop is burnt down. Another person rode on his bicycle to"a shop to'obtain an implement, and he left his bicycle for another day; the fire called first. There are several other like instance*.

Mr erected in quicktime, a corrugated iron,, building, which will serve for the'time being, the purpose of Middleton's Hotel.