The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1882. CURRENT NOTES. RUSH FIRES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 572, 6 January 1882, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1882. CURRENT NOTES. RUSH FIRES.

There have be n a good many bush fires lately, and they have cleared some 'thousands of acres of land, -and at the -same time have done comparatively little damage. A Christchurch paper has published a report to the effect -that some -700 acres of the heaviest pines, and totaras have been destroyed, but this is entirely incorrect, only small scrub having as yet been burnt. It is true that here and there amongst this small scrub there is a forest :ree, but (they are few indeed, and they have not been 'burnt, but only scorched, and will do as well for posts and rails as if they had never gone through the ordeal by fire At the same time one cannot help regretting the destruction of the timber on the ridges, where it undoubtedly tends to increase the rainfall;; and also the laying bare of the creeks, which makes their proportions shrink to such a small -Bize. However, we cannot blame the settlers, who are bound to make <the most of their land. It is the Government who are in fault. Why did ihey notteserve timber in certain lo aJities, and in every case for a chain or two on the borders of all the creeks? What ure a few thousand acres at £2 per acre comirarcd to the benefit of 'the whole population of the Peninsula. The only thing to be done, now is that these fires do as little harm as possible ; -and it is surely possible that some plan might be devised by which fires could ■not take place without the assent of some proper officer resident in the locality. This would at any rate be *c v c check on rash preens who are

/To o-ommit, n error without div -■ideration. At any rate th rt n* w uld

e>;two pr-ope to consider the question, find tint on-' : and it nop to in that with a itvlc can- there can \v plenty of 1 -iii*imi_r without n*ny considerable nuni-biu-'bf sheep, or quantity of grass seed, feeing destroyed.