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Shannon News, 28 March 1922, Page 3

A practical joke, which might have hod serious consequences, Avas per* pe [rated at Kaiapoi on Friday night. Mr 11. W. Childs, engineer of the Kaiapoi Fire Brigade, avlio lives with his family on the brigade premises, was awakened about 11.30 p.m. to find that the place tvas full of smoke. On mak-; iny a .hurried inspection of the premises he found that the furnace el' the steam fire engine had been lightel, which- caused dense volumes of smoke to pervade the building. The fire was discovered just in time, as ihe ceiling of the engine-room, which is of steel,- Avas practically reel hot. The gauge on the engine was registering ten pounds of steam. It takes men of stout heart and indomitable spirit to carve out homes for themselves in the backblocks, writes the special, correspondent of the Taranaki News. One man—-a returned soldier—together with his brother, had a 1000-acre block in ihe middle of tlie Taugarakau Gorg<y In the Iwo years they had been there they had cleared 600 acres. Most of the block is standing bush, and Is situated literally miles from civilisation. In'lhe; same valley are a man and his wife and two little children. The Avil'e came straight out from London to this outpost. Access io the valley is both primitive and dangerous, and the young settler has aMo'd 'f the Chamber of Commerce would help him in getting better facilities. The pioneers certainly deserve all the help they can be given.