WAIRARAPA AFFAIRS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 54, 3 February 1872, Page 14

WAIRARAPA AFFAIRS.

At the date of my last communication Carterton was in flames, and the smoke was so dense that it was impossible to ascertain the damage that had been done, or guess at the extent of the loss that the settlers would suffer before it died out. Everyone at the time had enough to do to look after his own little property, and knew but little of the amount of injury that was being sustained by others. The wind at the time, and for some time previously, had been blowing very strongly from the N.W., but in the course of Tuesday evening it had died away, and the anticipations of further danger were consequently greatly lessened. On Wednesday an inquiry was instituted by the inhabitants as'to the origin of the fire, but nothing definite was ascertained; and it was resolved that the coroner should be requested to hold an inquiry, the evidence tendered appearing to indicate that the bush had been wilfully ignited. According.y on Thursday a jury was empanelled, and a large number of witnesses examined ; when it appeared that there were several bush fires raging at the same time ; but there was not sufficient evidence to show which of them had caused the destruction of so much private property ' and a verdict to that effect w ; as returned ; the jui-y adding a rider to the effect that it would be desirable to introduce a bill into the Provincial Council next session to prevent persons firing bush except at certain seasons of the year. The j total value of the property destroyed is not near so great as was at first represented, though several settlers have lost their all, and find themselves houseless and homeless, from no fault of their own, at a time of life when they are ill-fitted to begin the world again, and make new homes for themselves without receiving assistance from others. Possibly £3OOO would cover the loss sustained ; but neither that or any other sum would adequately represent the extent of the suffering that has been inflicted on a number of poor and deserving settlers who by this visitation have lost the savings of years. Eight houses were totally destroyed, together with two small stores, a blacksmith’s and a wheelwright’s shop, and a large number of barns and outbuildings, with their contents. A large quantity ot substantial fencing was also consumed ; in fact from Cadwallader’s to the Pioneer Hotel, a distance of some two miles, the fire extended its ravages, and has left its black and sickening effects behind it. None of the buildings were insured. It is to be sincerely hoped that the appeal made for help by the Rev A Knell will be liberally and promptly responded to. A young man by the name of John Greuthead, a native of Wellington, who had just erected a dwelling house preparatory to his marriage, has been one ot tho principal sufferers, as house, shop, tools, and coals were all destroyed. Crawford, Bosley, King, and Merrick, had their dweliing-houses and shops burnt; and a great number of other settlers who had the good fortune to save their dwellings have sustained much injury by the destruction of out-buildiugs, hay, fences, and other property. On Tuesday a lire rushed from the ranges bounding West Taratahi and quickly extended itself over nearly the whole of that portion of the plain, burning down all the fences in its course, and not staying its devastation until it readied the Waingawha river. Mr Mitchell’s house had a narrow escape, and also Mr Wilton’s, and nearly the whole of their fences were destroyed. The Taratahi, during the night of the conflagration, would give the spectator a faint idea of the fearful grandeur ot a prairie fire, while the roaring noise it 1 made in its progress was equal to that of the Falls of Niagara, which indeed it closelv resembled. On Saturday morning a telegram reached Grey town that the dwelling house of E. Meredith, Esq., J.P., of Riversdale, Whareama, had been burned to the ground, and also the late dwelling house of Mr Val-

lance at Kauminga, which had been recently used as a wool shed. Probably the destruction of property by fires in this district during the past two weeks will be found to exceed, on the whole, £SIOO, the result in a great measure of culpable negligence, if not of worse misconduct. Last week Mr Rehall, <J.P., M.P.C., waited upon the Colonial Secretary, and also upon the Provincial Government, on behalf of the settlers of Masterton and Grey town, with reference to a re-survey of the railway line through this portion of the district, with the view of bringing it, if found practicable, nearer the present centres of population, and rendering it more accessible to the settlers of the Lower Valley. He was received most courteously bv Mr Gisborne, and assured that the contract line should be surveyed, and. if no engineering difficulties presented themselves as would tend to greatly increase the cost, that line would be adopted. It is understood that Mr Jackson, the Chief Surveyor of the province, than whom no one is better qualified, will undertake this service. The weather has not been, for the last few days, so dry, hot, and sultry as it was some time ago; but the crops are very poor as a rule, and some of them, I fear, will not be worth harvestin". The oats have turned out better than was anticipated, but the wheat in many places is very short in the straw, owing to the drought, and for the same reason the ears have not filled out; but probably it may prove on this account better in quality though less in quantity; 1 the great fault of New Zealand wheat being its excessive moisture. The potatoe crop is a complete failure.. A meeting of the Presbyterians ot the Wairarapa is to be held at Masterton on Monday next, for the purpose of taking the necessary steps for securing the services of a resident minister for the district, when the Rev J. Patterson will be present. At the present time everybody is busy, as the large number of road contracts which are being executed by the several boards furnish employment to the labor the termination of the shearing season has released, and unless we shortly have a large addition to the laboring population it will be impossible to get all the contracts executed during the present summer. The low price of all farm produce, wool only excepted, prevents this road expenditure having that active and buoyant effect on the trade of Wellington as would otherwise be witnessed: but these low prices must prove a boon to those who have to depend on their daily wages for their daily bread; and at the same time they would enable new industries to be successfully started, if we only had population to engage in them. The remarks made recently in a leading article in the Wellington evening paper with reference to tho late inquest at Masterton, and the medical treatment the deceased received on the occasion, will, I am informed, give employment to the gentlemen of the long robe, unless speedily corrected : as, I am assured, that they were not founded on fact, are contrary to the evidence given at the inquiry, and calculated to injure the professional practice of both the medical gentlemen who attended the deceased.