PALMERSTON.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 49, 30 December 1871, Page 13

PALMERSTON.

,; . (fJRQM OUR. OWN GOHRESPONDENT.) j , A serious catastrophe has happened' - within the last few days to this district.! On Friday evening last a fire was seen '■ springing up in the Totara Bush at the I north.end of Palmerston. Happily no wind was blowing at the time, and no serious result was expected ; but during . Friday night the wind commenced, and by daybreak on Saturday morning the whole bush at the north and east end of Palmerston was on fire. The wind during Saturday increased to a perfect "gale, spreading the fire.to an alarming extent. Several stacksof Government tramway sleepers were burnt to ashes, and but for the exertions of the tramway contractors the whole of the sleepers stacked on the line of tramroad would have been destroyed. Great praise is also due to the men working on the tram for their united efforts in assisting. The Government ought not to forget to pay them f>r thus volunteering their services. The fire is still spreading, but the wind fortunately has moderated, so that possibly the worst is passed at present. There is no telling the amount of totara bush destroyed, which just now is much wanted for railway purposes. A resident constable, I. am happy to say, is now stationed here, and already a change seems to have come over the morals of the people. Several of the last of the immigrants are on the move for Napier, where work seems more plentiful. To quote an instance what some have had to exist on in the way of work supplied by the Government and private individuals, a married man who is proceeding to Napier assures me that he has earned but £lB since he came here last March, and he has done all the work offered him. The storekeepers of course are the sufferers, as it is impossible a married man could have it is considered that for some months lived on so small a sum, especially when after they were located here they had nothing but what they stood in, unless they purchased new outfits from the stores, which in every instance I believe was done. The Government are . perhaps not aware that even now some • of the boxes of effects belonging to these people are lying at the Maori settle- * ment, half way between here ang! ,Foxton,*and during the winter<flopds were several* times govered with water. "The contents, no doubt, are now in a delightful mess. But the question is are these people to be sufferers for the . negligence of those who undertook to settle them here.