BUSH FIRES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 71, 28 February 1908, Page 3

BUSH FIRES.

The aftermath.

Welcome rain fell throughout the district at the beginning of the week, anfflasted.long enough to check the fires, which have beenraging for the past month,,. The season has been a 'record one for heat and drought, and further particulars of losses sustained by settlers are still coming to hand. During the progress of the fires it was impossible to ascertain the exact extent of the damage, but now that rain has abated the danger, settlers are able to get about their clearings and come to a full knowledge of the work done by the fires. The loss of grass has been extensive and widespread, and a great amount of money will require to be expended in grass seed this season in order to make good the loss of pasture. On the other hand there is no doubt the fires have cleared up an immense amount of country, and made log-strewn clearings clean and free from the effects of previous burns and second growth. In this respect the ultimate benefit is hard to estimate, and when the areas cleared by the fires are grassed, the increased value of the land will be greatly in excess of the present loss, Those settlers who have lost heavily in stock, and have had their homes swept away, are doubtless heavy losers, and recovery for them will be hard, Fortunately, in many instances the damage was found to be overestimated, though the Oparau settlers and a few in other districts are heavy losers.

The action of the Government in coming to the assistance of the sufferers, and enabling them to obtain grass seed on liberal terms, will be widely appreciated. Much of the country will thus be saved from going back, and with the increased pasture and greater stock carrying capacity, which will result next season, the settlers will be enabled to turn imminent disaster into profit. The effect of the drought on the stock market was very marked during the past month, sheen jrVpar-ticular ma king a decided drop. 'However, with the prospect of a fair turnip crop in Waikato, andfelffficient winter feed, buoyancy has returned to the market, and prices are already showing an upward tendency.