RECENT BUSH FIRES.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 April 1918, Page 6

RECENT BUSH FIRES.

70,0001 ACRES DEVASTATED.

DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT £500,000.

Ihe recent disastrous bush tires v/ere a. subject of discussion by the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce' on :\londay. Mr. A. Harris said lie had visited the Cpper Wangaehu district, where it was conservatively estimated that five thousand sheep and three or four hundred cattle had been lost. Sheep were still dyin fe . There was an instance . there where two men had WOO acres leasehold, and 1000 acres had been burned black. One settler had lost 1100 sheep, and another -2000. The settlers in fliis locality would have no return for two years A great deal had been made of Raetihi, but the fire sufferers were distributed over a very wide area. Proceeding, the speaker said the Government had cabled £IO,OOO fo- the Halifax disaster, but nothing like that assistance had .been given in the local disaster, which was regarded as a national one Personally, ho considered the money raised should be pooled and tendered to the Government, to pay interest for the two years the .burned areas would not produce revenue, and further, he thought that a committee, consisting of a Government representative, a farmer and a commercial man, should be set up to sit in camera, .to deal with the applications of fire sufferers.

Mr. Gregor McGregor sa'd the Government was going to go security for all the grass seed required, the terms to be two annual payments, plus interest. ' Restocking the country was going to be a very serious item. There had been a heavy loss of fat stock. U e thought some scheme could be evolved whereby money could be advanced to help the settlers. The financial institutions were prepared to carry on their clients. The suggestion that the residue of subscriptions should go to pay interest was a good one. Many of the smaller eases of relief had been dealt with, while there were other people who could carry the h'""'en if helped by the financial institutions.

Mr. Allan Robinson said lie believed the method of finance would be on the same lines as that given to returned F.n' 'ierj. A modest "o+'tnflte of the area devastated was 70,000 acres. It would cost .£J,OtX) to restock that area, and C 1 ->O.OOO for grass seed. The loss was at least ."GiiOO.OOO, Many people had lost their incomes for at least five years. One difficulty was going to be incometax on incomes the- would not he receiving for a Ttvnnbbr of vears tto thought representation might be made to the Minister of Finance on that ooint. The

fire was a national calamity -winch should be stood by the whole community. The President pointed out that ivas being done. The whole question would be dealt with by the Raetihi committee, plus the other committees- He was still of the opinion that all the money subscribed would be absorbed ill the relief of distress, and that the question of broad acres would have to be dealt with separately.