PROTECTING THE BUSH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 January 1939, Page 6

PROTECTING THE BUSH

CARELESS NEGLECT OF FIRE DANGERS MINISTER HINTS AT DRASTIC ACTION. CIGARETTE BUTTS FROM MOTOR CARS. (Uy Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. Expressing the conviction that the majority of such fires were the result cf absolute carelessness on the part of motorists and others who disregarded the consequences of throwing away lighted cigarette butts, the Minister of Internal Affairs. Mr Parry, when commenting in an interview yesterday on the big forest fire in central Hawke’s Bay. hinted at the possibility of drastic legislation Wing introduced making it a serious offence for common sense to be so disregarded. Mr Parry said he was not aware what had been responsible for the central Hawke's Bay fire, but there was no doubt that a great number of such fires were caused by cigarette butts, as one could see when out motoring. "If we are going to preserve the native bush of this country there may have to be drastic legislation passed, making it a very serious offence for any person to be caught disregarding common sense by throwing cigarette butts cut of cars as people are doing at present,” he said.

The Minister said some bush fires were taking place as a result of camp fires, but he was satisfied not nearly to the extent of those which came from motor-cars. "The thing we have to insist upon is that people must be stopped from carelessly throwing cigarette butts out of cars in the wind.” he said.