CORRESPONDENCE.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16418, 11 January 1919, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

HOME FROM THE WAR. ! TO TBW EDITOR O* "THX rRIS»." 1 Sir, —In reply to a letter. signed > "Chnstchurch'' in this morning's paper, ■ it would be better to wait until there is a draft of 1914 men before giving ' the reception. The returning drafts. \ now. following each other, quickly, will ■ consist of oddments from the hospitals, ■ etc., more than half being men of 1917 - and later embarkation. It is out of r the question to work up a reception for • each draft, while, by starting in time, we could 1 have a top-hole demonstration, ' say j about March,, to welcome the first t returned men who are coming home be- [ cause of their length of service, dating back to the first year of the war.— Yours, etc.. » NORTH CANTERBURY. January 10th. j THE FIRE AT KAIKOT7KA. TO THE EDITOR OJf "THE TRESS."' r Sir, —As a resident in Kaikoura, and f an eye-witness yesterday of the disastrous fire (the second within nine ■ months) from start to finish, and also as t a sufferer by the total loss of personal . property of mine stored at the wharf, awaiting shipment to Wellington, and. t comprising articles and' documents which ' bo money can replace (being. a long ' series of" letters from my two soldier ' sons, written in ' Australia, . Ceylon, ; Egypt, and Palestine, and photos and L curios in course of collation for the service of. the Government authorities with : regard to the pending work on New Zea--1 land's part ip the war), permit me to I state the following facts: (a) Kaikoura is governed ; by a County Council of nine gentlemen (most of whom reside at long distances from the township) -holding meetings once a month. . There is no 'TBarbour.Bpard'' as mentioned in your notice), iior, indeed, any harbour there, (b)'The wharf arid' all of the buijdings thereon are the freehold property of the "Council," who conduct the business of the port and wharf "by an engineer a county clerk, and a wharfinger and his assistants, (c) The "Council" undertakes the storage, and charge, of produce of various kinds, including sheep and. pigs, and also passengers' luggage, furniture and effects, pending shipment .to Wellington, or Lyttelton, as required. • (ay The township of Kaikoura. is in a very beautiful and healthful district, devoted, to dairy fanning 'and hut does .not possess at present any fire engine, or other means of extinguishing fires— great or small and the small manual implement in use yesterday on the seashore would have been of no practical ■use whatever, but for the fortunate ar. rival and intervention 'of the .Cygnet tone of the two little boats which trade With Kaikoura. as circumstances permit), and whose captain and crew /endered throughout-the day the most untiring and valuable assistance, in keeping the fire within some limits, and, possibly, saved the destruction of the pier itself, and the stoppage of all trade with Kaikoura for some time to come, and I hope that their services will he fully recognised, both by the Council and by the owners of the Cygnet. I desire, Sir, to say nothing concerning the origin jof the fire, until the rami facts have been ascertained, and-offi-cially reported upon, but I do protest, once more, upon the serious position in which : both • the lives and. property of the resident ratepayers, and others, are placed by want ©f true government of the townsjiip by the local body appointed and electod (by themselves) annually to govern it, and by the parsimony, arid (as it seems to me) the want of commonsense shown by that body, in not adopting measures ensuring the safety of persons and property within its jurisdiction, and. in this particular case, the absence of a fire engine, which, had it been available yesterday, might have disposed' of the trouble at the very outset, and saved thousands of pounds, besides the risk of loss of human life, and live stock. As regards my personal loss, I intend to ask the local body to make it good (so far as this is possible), and J trust this truly dreadful, and needless, occurrence of yesterday, following so closely upon the gigantic fire of April last, involving the total destruction of the liotpl and five sets of business premises (all in sight of an nmple water supply), may br» the means of rousing those who are primarily responsible for the safety and comfort, not only of residents.-but i all who wish to visit a region so, otherwise, eminently nttractivn.\ Failing I other means of influence, I appeal to [ you, Sir. to give publicity to the-facts stated. —Yours. w., '■ I FRED. BROOKE, Solicitor. Wellington and Kaikoura. Lyttelton, January 10th.