The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1918 THE AFTERMATH.

Taihape Daily Times, 22 March 1918, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1918 THE AFTERMATH.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Walmarlno News).

The overshadowing feature of the great fire that has swept over the Waimarino and contiguous counties is the burning of a young man, his wife and child. On Messrs Scott and O'Connor's property, eight miles from Raetihi, the little family, in the young years of life were surrounded and overwhelmed by an awe-inspiring, resistless chemical reaction carried over the countryside by cyclonic winds. We may commence to wrangle about who is first to rush to the aid of men who have lost all they possess except their lives and the lives of their families, but how miserably helpless all must feel in such a loss as that of the Akcrston family. It speaks volumes for the farmers'of this district that numbers have called at this office offering their cheques to help in meeting present needs of those who have escaped with their lives; their actions have demonstrated that the race for riches has not blotted out or even dimmed chose humane traits in our people upon which the salvation of the whole world from slavery must depend. We again have the fact emphasised that the farmer’s vocation is far from being free from such destructive cataclysms; that the man on the land is, if anything, more liable to lose all he possesses, and even that his life is in jeopardy from unusual, overpowering operations of the elements, from fire, wind, drought, frost and flood, than men in any other industry. It may be that never-absent fear keeps fresh the sympathic natures in farmers from ■which comes springs of generosity ‘■’when calamity such as the present overtakes anv one or section of them. >'i There are no words in our vocabulary that can express the feelings evoked by such sympathy and spontaneous generosity as was strongly in evidence just so soon as it was known what was happening. Decadency of the British will be delayed while humane demonstrations are so natural to it that a whole country rises with money and help to retrieve from misfortune any single individual. The action of the Government only reflects the feelings and wishes of the people. Ministers were quickly at the scene of devastation, and it seems that the Government has taken upon its shoulders the duty of seeing that unnecessary suffering and hardship is avoided. At the same time Taihape should be ready with a few hundreds of pounds to make sure that no instance of need is left unattended to. All farmers, however secure they may think themselves from fire and flood, know there remains the possibility over present that they may be the next to be overwhelmed or engulfed; this is shown by their desire to help those who have suffered. Although the. Mas'or of Ohakune has informed the Mayor of Taihape that the Government is providing five hundred pounds for immediate needs, it is a fact that much money has alerady been given to sufferers out of donations freely made for the purpose in Taihape. Refugees are here in considerable numbers; very many of the men thrown out of wmrk by the destruction of sawmills have large families, and it must be .looked to that they do not want for clothing and other necessities. Many of these men are penniless; the Rev. W. F. Stent is doing what he can in providing them with clothing and money, and so that this may continue it seems advisable that a relief fund should be established and contributions thereto solicited. Until it is ascertained what is really wanted promises of donations should be taken, so that money may be available to relieve actual deprivation wherever and when ever discovered. The value destroyed by the appalling conflagration will run into hundreds of thousands of pounds, but as there are precedents in plenty of our Governments realising their duty, and of a generous people rushing forward with their help in dire need, -we are confident that the utmost will be done now to secure sufferers from being completely or severely crushed by their misfortune.