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 Yours sincerely,
 Betty Hall."
 ----
-SOME THOUGHTS ON BUSHFIRE CONTROL.
+=====Some thoughts On Bushfire Control.=====
 By Allen A. Strom.
-Bushfire prevention has been a failure: The timber resources of
-the North Coast and the Pilliga - the grazing lands of the north west - the residential and recreational areas of the central coast - all have suffered badly; and within the first few weeks of summer.
+Bushfire prevention has been a failure! The timber resources of the North Coast and the Pilliga - the grazing lands of the north west - the residential and recreational areas of the central coast - all have suffered badly; and within the first few weeks of summer.
-Lots of people have been affected by wireless talks, posters and bushfire danger periods and there are more organised fire fighting brigades. But it is obvious that Tr-takes only one careless act on the right day, one malicious firebug, to turn a State Forest to ashes, and an enthusiastic brigade without effective equipment is hopeless.
-Let us continue our propaganda towards Bushf ire Consciousness by all means - but we must not stop there; for no natter haw intense our campaign, there will always be the few offenders who, given the optimum climatic conditions, may do as much damage as a whole flock of destroyers. The amount of damage that a single offender might do with a bushfire is infinitely greater, time for time, than the law breaker with a revolver set to take human life. And then of course there are the considerable numbers of fires begun on the plains by lightning strikes in rainless storms.
+Lots of people have been affected by wireless talks, posters and bushfire danger periods and there __are__ more organised fire fighting brigades. But it is obvious that it takes only __one__ careless act on the right day, one malicious firebug, to turn a State Forest to ashes, and an enthusiastic brigade without effective equipment is hopeless.
-Paradoxically then, bushfire prevention must fail to eliminate the scourge and furthermore, whilst we pin a hope to prevention we
-will leave off preparing to fight. Early detection of the menace as in a disease of the body is imperative. Power to fight must then be immediate, power to control and extinguish, as no bushf ire is hunder controlh until it is thoroughly and finally, OUT!
+Let us continue our propaganda towards Bushfire Consciousness by all means - but we must not stop there; for no natter haw intense our campaign, there will always be the few offenders who, given the optimum climatic conditions, may do as much damage as a whole flock of destroyers. The amount of damage that a single offender might do with a bushfire is infinitely greater, time for time, than the law breaker with a revolver set to take human life. And then of course there are the considerable numbers of fires begun on the plains by lightning strikes in rainless storms.
-.
+Paradoxically then, bushfire prevention must fail to eliminate the scourge and furthermore, whilst we pin a hope to prevention we will leave off preparing to fight. Early detection of the menace as in a disease of the body is imperative. Power to fight must then be immediate, power to control and extinguish, as no bushfire is "under control" until it is thoroughly and finally, OUT!
 Officialdom's reaction has been threefold -
-to throw the blame on to the householder for not clearing the hazard about the home nor burning breaks,
-to look with despair at the thought of "blow-up days",
+  - to throw the blame on to the householder for not clearing the hazard about the home nor burning breaks,
-to distribute funds, far below the estimate of damage, when the havoc has been caused.
+  - to look with despair at the thought of "blow-up days",
+  - to distribute funds, far below the estimate of damage, when the havoc has been caused.
 How important is clearing undergrowth and burning firebreaks? In recent fires, trees have burst into flames up to 200 yards ahead of the main front, the fire has passed along the tree tops (the litter being burned at a much later time), and fifty yards wide firebreaks (or the remaining burned trees in them) have been consumed. In some cases flames have leapt a roadway and a railway running side by side, to catch on to railway property.
 We cannot then rest content with clearing and firebreaks; in fact, it is dangerous to do so or to allow the authorities to sink into complacency behind them.
-The weather bureaux give very aecurate information on "blow-up" days. How do we adjust our life accordingly? Are efficient firespotting squads at their posts; is the State "netted by a mesh of dr observance; are highways and railways patrolled for the thoughtless offender? Does the fire fighting squad stand-by during the whole of the emergency, ready to pounce on the first flicker and long before the flames come roaring with miles of "build up" behind them?
-Everybody would like to know just how much of this does occur. In the suburbs, we hear of husbands racing home in taxis to fight the blaze threatening their homes; in the mountains, fire-fighters waiting to arrest a wall of flame with a thirty or forty mile gale behind it; in the country, a stock and station agent calling for volunteers to meet at nightfall to journey anything up to a hundred riles.
+The weather bureaux give very aecurate information on "blow-up" days. How do we adjust our life accordingly? Are efficient firespotting squads at their posts; is the State "netted" by a mesh of air observance; are highways and railways patrolled for the thoughtless offender? Does the fire fighting squad stand-by during the whole of the emergency, ready to pounce on the first flicker and long before the flames come roaring with miles of "build up" behind them?
-Does the Forestry Commission fare any better? It wouldn't appear so, and 1,m,gely, from the words of one of its own officers, not because of the kind of effort, but because of the size of the effort.
-And this brings us to fire fighting potential. There is no doubt that water at the right time, efficiently handled by trained personnel can work wonders. Have you ever advanced on to a bush fire armed with a piece of green bush or a wet bag or even a regulation" beater? Its pretty hopeless if the fire's got a go on". As a matter of fact you'll be lucky if you can get close enough to do any real good; and if it's in the tree tops - well!
+Everybody would like to know just how much of this does occur. In the suburbs, we hear of husbands racing home in taxis to fight the blaze threatening their homes; in the mountains, fire-fighters waiting to arrest a wall of flame with a thirty or forty mile gale behind it; in the country, a stock and station agent calling for volunteers to meet at __nightfall__ to journey anything up to a hundred miles.
-If it's a scrub fire, the knapsack spray works wonders;  the forest fire wants water tenders, pulnpb and Miles of hose.
-The fire fighters must stand by 'on "blow-up' days And they will need to be well trained for the work and compensated for their loss of employment.
+Does the Forestry Commission fare any better? It wouldn't appear so, and largely, from the words of one of its own officers, not because of the kind of effort, but because of the size of the effort.
-.
+And this brings us to fire fighting potential. There is no doubt that water at the right time, efficiently handled by trained personnel can work wonders. Have you ever advanced on to a bush fire armed with a piece of green bush or a wet bag or even a "regulation" beater? Its pretty hopeless if the fire's got a "go on". As a matter of fact you'll be lucky if you can get close enough to do any real good; and if it's in the tree tops - well!
+If it's a scrub fire, the knapsack spray works wonders; the forest fire wants water tenders, pumps and miles of hose.
+The fire fighters must stand by on "blow-up' days and they will need to be well trained for the work and compensated for their loss of employment.
 To summarise -
-The emphasis in our campaign against bushfires must shift from prevention to control and fighting. A considerably increased sum of money must go into training, fire spotting and equipment for fire fighting. Bushfires are a- national calamity and they concern every citizen: training should involve some compulsion and service should be
-a demand; we don't equip our defence forces on a piece-meal, parsimonious policy so why should we falter when it comes to an army that will resist des truction of food, timber, homes, recreation or even life.? Of what avail is Conservation and Nature Protection if fire can undo in one day the work of a generation or more?
+The emphasis in our campaign against bushfires must shift from prevention to control and fighting. A considerably increased sum of money must go into training, fire spotting and equipment for fire fighting. Bushfires are a national calamity and they concern every citizen: training should involve some compulsion and service should be a demand; we don't equip our defence forces on a piece-meal, parsimonious policy so why should we falter when it comes to an army that will resist destruction of food, timber, homes, recreation or even life? Of what avail is Conservation and Nature Protection if fire can undo in one day the work of a generation or more?
-This period of destruction will pass; we will forget: Authority will be only too happy to pass on to other fields. It is a vigilant, persistent minority that will keep the danger awake in the mind of the general public -. particularly the great hordes that live in the cities and never fisee the stars''.
+This period of destruction will pass; we will forget! Authority will be only too happy to pass on to other fields. It is a vigilant, persistent minority that will keep the danger awake in the mind of the general public - particularly the great hordes that live in the cities and never "see the stars".
 A first step might be to seek a conference with the Premier in order to let him know that certain changes in the approach to bushfire control must take place; to discuss with him ways and means of achieving these changes. From there, Commonwealth Co-ordination and increased finance are imperative.
+----
 samimmt =pnala.umia
 FEDERATION NOTES.