The Robesonian

FOREST FIRES.

Severe Punishment in a Few Cases Might Help.

Immense damage by forest fires, says The Lumberton Robesonian, has been done in Robeson and adjoining counties during the last few weeks. It is said that these fires are the result chiefly of carelessness; but in some instances they are started purposely. The amount of damage resulting has been very great. A great deal of it may be termed almost permanent as it will take a very long time for the trees destroyed to be succeeded by another growth of sufficient size for lumber. Persons starting these forest fires, through carelessness even, are indictable under the law of the State. But the owners of the destroyed timber seldom resort to the criminal courts. It is difficult to detect the guilty ones, and, besides, if they are prosecuted the instigators of the fires may revenge themselves by starting others, and the owners who resort to prosecutions are liable to suffer additional loss in the same manner at their hands. The authors of forest fires, for these reasons, have the timber owners almost at their mercy. The latter submit to loss without appeal to the law in order not to invite additional destruction of property. It strikes us that this is a state of affairs which could be stopped by a few prosecutions in clear cases of guilt followed by severe punishment.

It is not in the Robeson section alone that much damage has been done of late by forest fires which could have been avoided. From several other points comes news of the same nature. Large tracts in the heavily timbered mountain section have suffered.

It is strange that men who know what vast damage is done by these fires should deliberately or carelessly start them.