The Waikato Argus GEORGE EDGECUMBE Proprietor. _ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1898.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 244, 5 February 1898, Page 2

The Waikato Argus GEORGE EDGECUMBE Proprietor. _ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1898.

The fires which arc at the present time raging in all direction in tho neighbourhood of tho railway, are reason for a very strong prolest against the Railway Department, for their refusal to take ordinary precaution to prevent the serious loss which settlers suffer in consequence of this neglect. If spark-catchers were fixed to the funnels, the danger of filing the country would be reduced to the possible Joiinimum. We are quite within the mark when we state that some thousands of pounds of damage has been down by tho locomotives duiing the past month or two. The unfortunate sufferers have no remedy, and the Minister and officials of the Department, who neglect this reasonable precaution, not being personally liable, contemplate the destruction with tho greatest indifference. It has been stated on former occasions, when this serious matter has been under discussion, that the only remedy is to burn Westport coal in place of that at present in use, and that the additional cost of doing this would be very great. Admitting this to bo tho case, our answer is that Westport coal should nevertheless bo used at all times when owing to a long prevalence of drought dangeris imminent.

It is preposterous that settlers should be exposed to loss greatly in excess of tho additional cost of using this coal. If the railways were run by a company tho law would very soon step in and compel the corporation to adopt all reasonable precautions or be liable to compensate settlers for any loss they might sustain. The running of the trains is a necessity, and any reully unavoidable* damage done must be accepted as incidental to their working and tho loss suffered by individuals, but it is out of all reason that they should be Halle to this loss when there are two obvious remedies for the evil.