TREE-FELLING AT THE FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 June 1916, Page 3

TREE-FELLING AT THE FRONT.

A NOVEL COMPETITION. WITHIN THE SOUND OF GUNS. MAORI v. FRENCHMAN, (From Malcolm Ross. Official Correspondent with the N.Z. Forces). The French are famous foresters. While they destroy they also conserve, but the war has taken heavy toll of their trees. Timber is wanted for huts and saps and trenches and mines. War eats up timber just as it eats up food and clothing and munitions. In our sector we have become associated with the French in tltc matter of forest control, and this fact has led to a compotilion that is unique in the annals of wood-chopping and of war. The competion arose in this way: A French officer asked one of our men how long it would take him to cut down a certain tree. The reply was, "About sixty seconds." The Frenchman was ;<ierc.lulous, and s» a friendly euipetit/on was arranged between six Fivnen axemen and a similar number from the ,\fcnris, who now form the backbone of a pioneer battalion, one of their prinuoal officers being a doctor and cx-member of Parliament, who. wishing to be more in the thick of things, has exchanged the lancet for the sword.

There were «ix men a-side, and ikey had to chop down twelve trees. It was a beautiful spring Sunday morning as the competitors, accompanied by a crowd of British and colonial soldiers, trooped up the hard "save'' road, and turned off into on: oi the beautiful forests of French Flanders. At frequent intervals the boom of distant guns 'Broke in upon the singing of birds, the chiming of church bells, and tin. purriiiK of a forest sawmill.

A General spun a penny in the air. and the Maori captain won the toss. He was teld that he could have his choice of the two rows of trees mark:'! for the contest. "We'll take any tree, sir," he sail), "any one that coui-s along.'' (hat being the way of the Maori. He has always been a sportsman. Everyone knows the slory of the Maori war. when an English regiment ceased firing because they had run short of am-

I munition, and the old chief offered to I send them a supply in order that they 1 might go on with the fight. As the men stripped to the- shirt and lined up to their trees interest "n the contest arose. '-I'll bet half a piastre on tin- Maoris," Ka id the ox-M.P. Most of those present fancied the Maoris, but their splendid physique was largely offset by tiie fact that they had conformed to the French method of chopping tiie irea just above the surface of the ground instead of breast-high, as t'.iev do in their own country, in this. also, they had shown their sporting intuition. The test was one not only of strength, endurance and skill, but also one" of method, for, Whereas the Maoris, were : armed with the ordinary light English axe, the French woodsmen lined lip with the heavy, long-bladed axes to which they are :■■■ customed. Willi these they could mi ' Tiler cuts, hut, in a given time. (■<•■ ■ get in so many blows. In each the blades were keen almost as ... blades. In the'middle of 'he Maori line was Rawiri. a swarthy young fellow, with great biceps, and an accurate swinging blow that hacked great chips out of a very hard tree. Yet it was the first, tree to fall. In one and a-half minutes it .toppled over, but fell on to another tree that held it up. The nv:! marked tree was not far away, and. glancing thoughtfully at this, the yoimjwarrior went calmly to work and felled it so as to bring the first tree to the ground. But this second tree, in itturn, failed to clear a third tree. There was nothing for it now but to fell this third tree as well. Rawiri cut it breasthigh, and after a few swinging blows if gave, and the two trees came crashing to the ground, amidst erics of "Bravo, boy!" ;yid a ringing cheer from the crowd. In the meantime the Frenchmen had got their first and second tree down, but other Maoris "had also been successful, and the score stood at four-two. Later it evened up at six all. As soon as a man had felled his last tree he was at liberty to help his mates, and soon there were three men on each side, vigorously hacking away at one tree. The Maoris, however, maintained their lead, and in twenty-two minutes they had all their trees down. The Frenchmen finished their task four minutes later. And thus it was that the native* New Zealander again proved" his prowess in a I'civ field far away from his home, just as he did in that famous night attack on Gallipoli, when, with fixed bayonet and empty magazine, he helped to clear the foothills of the hostile Turks, and paved tiie way for the memorable attackon Chunuk Bair.