LATE BUSH FIRES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8738, 26 March 1890, Page 3

LATE BUSH FIRES.

10 THE EDITOR. Sir, — May I venture, through the medium of your journal, to express a doubt whether the matter of gathering money to give to the sufferers by bush fires is not in danger of being somewhat overdone. As far as I can make out from enquiries made, the cases of real d istress are fortunately very few, and would probably not number more than half a dozen. By real distress I mean cases where people have been burnt out of house and home, and actually require assistance to help them on to their legs again. Surely, settlers many of them in comfortable circumstances, who have lost, may be a hay stack, or a cowshed, or a bit of old post and rail fence, should not go begging to their neighbors and tho public to replace them. For my part, I feel rather ashamed that Taranaki should go begging round the colony for such a slight cause. I think we are quite able and willing ourselves to relieve the few really necessitous cases without applying for help to Auckland and Wellington. These occasions furnish opportunities for much exaggeration and abuse, and humbug generally, and also are bad precedents. Settlers are already far too reckless in the use of fire, and too careless in clearing their fence lines, &c, and distributing money will certainly not tend to make them more careful. I hope these remarks will not be misconstrued. My onl^ object in making them is to prevent abuse. If I might make a suggestion to the Relief Committee, with a view to that end, I think it would be a good plan if the name and address of each applicant for relief, with the amount asked for and received, be published in the papers, so that everybody can see what is done.— I am, &c, H. P. Inglewood, March 25th.