BUSH BURNING.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 248, 2 March 1906, Page 2

BUSH BURNING.

2Lbe cur settlers going to get burns this year ? Det us all fervently hope so. There is nothing sure about the weather, which appears to be in coaliition with the Government to keep the district back. What doos Captain Edwin say ? We are afraid we must ask something easier. Sometimes one is painfully impressed by the limitations ot science. The famous French astronomer, M. Camille Flammarion, says : We can tell wish almost absolute certitude what the weather will be in a certain district of Mars during next week or next month.” Yet if either Edwin or Flammarion were in Kawhia, though they can penetrate the mysteries of the Milky Way, and tell what sort of weather obtains in Centauri Major, they could n>t say whether it was safe to leave their umbrellas at home, or whether we will have sufficient dry days and nights to enable settlers in this district to burn their fallen bush. But that is the way of scientists—they will predict to a day when Tarawera or Mounts Eden or Egmont will erupt, but ask them if it will rain to morrow, and they aro not sure I The chief of tbe United States Weather Bureau has recently been lecturing on tbe climate Of Britain, and says tbe Britisher owes bis tremendous energy and oolonisiog powers entirely to the weather; we owe our Kitcheners, our Cromwella our "Bobs”,to the stimulating influences of tbe drizzle, tbe sleet and fog. The pries seems pretty higbj doe it not ? f’or whom are we pay ing now ? I* it for our county councillors or our new M.H.R. ? Tbe settlers would rather have forgone th* prizes fur tbe sake of a good bum. But joking apart, there are m>ny hundreds of acres of bush down in thia district and ready fur burning. Should no oppor unity offer it means a loss of Lousands of pounds.