HAWKE’S BAY LOSS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 96, 4 February 1936, Page 3

HAWKE’S BAY LOSS

THE FRUIT-GROWING INDUSTRY. LOSS FROM £IOO,OOO AND £120,000. / EFFECT OF HURRICANE WIND. (Per Press Association.) HASTINGS, February 3. Heavy rain and winds reaching almost hurricane force over the week-end caused serious flooding in Napier, Hastings and the surrounding countryside. The principal effect of the winds was to cause what Mr Ralph Paynter (president of the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association) described as the worst disaster ever to befall the fruitgrowing industry in this district. Mr Paynter estimates the damages to crops and trees at between £IOO,OOO and £120,000. He conducted a survey to-day with the object of confirming that estimate. He intends calling a meeting of growers to consider taking steps to obtain Government assistance in view of the export prospects being now almost nil. Flooding cut off Napier and Hastings from each other and from outside areas by road, rail, air, telephone, and telegraph. The roads to the north were open again last night, also one route to Hastings. About 80 per cent, of the country telephone service is still out of action. Telegraphic communication is still limited owing to the collapse of part of the line near Napier. Passengers travelling south by rail this morning had to be brought by bus to Hastings to join the strain theie. It is believed that losses of stock in this locality are not serious, despite the rapid rising of three rivers which yesterday afternoon were in a highly dangerous state. Many thousands o acres are flooded. The weather has now cleared and the level of the rivers dropped below danger point.

GRASS SEED CROPS RUINED. RYEGRASS SUPPLY HALVED. NAPIER, Fell. 3. The Agricultural and Pastoral As sociation lost 500 sheep and Ferine Bros. 1000. Other losses are not a. certainable. There was ruinous damage in the Pakowhai Hu it area, where some orchardists sulfeied severely, and others escaped heavy damage. A moderate estimate of tin. loss in that area is £60,000. Railway traffic was resumed aitci two hours’ delay caused by slight damage to the line six miles out. Many trees are down in Napier, me gale reached a velocity of 60 miles an hour. Electric light and telephone lines are out of order in many places. A large area of land near Clive is undet water, but the level of the floods has receded greatly since last night, ancl traffic to the south has been resumed on the main road. Stock losses are not known, it is understood that the damage was most severe in the fruit-growing areas, which are at present difficult of access. . No damage is reported to bridges but plant was washed away fiom bridge works in progress. The water swept over the plains with terrifying suddenness and in places the flood level was higher than at any similar, visitation since 1897. The harbour works were not effected, but the fishing fleet is unable to work because of heavy seas. Growers of grass seed have been the worst sufferers of the farming community. Crops were late being cut because of the damp summer, and in almost every case it has not been possible to have the seed threshed without having been affected by rain while lying in the paddocks. Several crops were threshed during las t week’s break, but even then it was difficult to get the best results because of dampness, and most of the seed was lost. All the mills were working on Saturday morning end several acres of crops had been turned over to dry before being threshed, but all operations had to cease shortly after midday because of the rain. Now these crops can he considered ruined, or if not a total loss, they will not yield one-third of their expected selling value, and it can now he estimated that the supply of Hawke's Bay ryegrass will this year bo cut down by at least half. if lot of the crops threshed arc heavy, but the seed will lose a big percentage in dressing, as there is an unusually large amount of rubbish caused by the wet season. Very few sales had been made up to last week, and buyers seemed to bo delaying purchasing until threshing was more advanced. The prices likely to be offering arc therefore not yet known, hut after the further damage to, and in many eases destruction of, the harvest by the weekend visitation, there cannot help but ho a big shortage of good seed, and prices will no doubt be high.

FATALITY NEAR RAGLAN.

MAORI FARMER KILLED. TRUCK SKIDS OVER BANK. HAMILTON, February 3. When a motor-truck plunged over a steep bank on a slippery clay road near Te Mata, Raglan, Raimi Rangiawha, aged 56, a well-known Aotea sheep' farmer, received fatal injuries. Rangiawlm, who was driving a halften truck when the accident occurred, had set out to go to Napier, but decided to turn back on account of the wet weather. While negotiating the road on the return the truck skidded, and went over the hank. Rangiawlm was severely crushed, and died a few hours later, but two passengers in the truck escaped injury.