EFFECT ON THE PUBLIC

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22590, 21 December 1938, Page 12

EFFECT ON THE PUBLIC

EARTHQUAKES "NATURAL PHENOMENA"

MR H. F. BAIRD'S VIEWS

The prevalent attitude of regarding earthquakes as almost supernatural occurrences, with the consequent fear of them, was strongly deprecated by Mr H. F. Baird, assistant director of the Magnetic Observatory, Ctaisteluitctv, when discussing the recent earthquake shocks and the publicity given to them with a reporter yesterday. He said that seismologists were stressing the view that earthquakes should be regarded as natural phenomena, like rain and snow and thunder, and precautions could be taken which would reduce loss of life in an earthquake to an almost negligible quantity. He also defended the publicity given to earthquakes in the newspapers against recent attacks made by members of the Wellington Fire Board, and corrtmented on the popular view that there is a connexion between earthquakes and the weather.

"I am more scared of thunderstorms than earthquakes," said Mr Baird.

"And I am not scared of thunderstorms; I regard them just as everybody else' does. Man had- learned how to circumvent the effect of storms, and it seems up to him to exercise his ingenuity in robbing earthquakes of their dangers. If people are not silly enough to stay out in the rain why should they regard it as impossible to avoid the dangers of earthquakes?

"More Scared of Buildings" "I am more scared of buildings than of earthquakes. Buildings can be made earthquake-resisting, sufficiently so to reduce the risk of loss of human life to an almost negligible, quantity. 'Be prepared' is the most needed lesson for people to apply to their philosophy of earthquakes. It is ludicrous to regard earthquakes in the light of supernatural occurrences. "Probably the main, reason for the fear of earthquakes is that they daprive people of the power of mobility. Everything is out of balance, and it is impossible to run away from an earthquake. This gives a severe nervous shock to the system." Mr Baird referred to the recent criticism of the publicity given to earthquakes in the newspapers by members of the Wellington Fire Board, who said that such publicity was regrettable and that Japan did not give publicity to her earthquakes.

Newspaper Publicity Defended "The point about big earthquakes is that knowledge of them can't be suppressed from the public," he said. "The waves travel over the whole earth, and are picked up by seismological instruments. Bulletins are issued in ccld print on their occurrence and origin. During the last month we recorded 50 earthquakes, many of them an Japan. "People would not criticise the newspaper publicity if they knew how many telephone inquiries we receive about earthquakes. We have had inquiries about earthquakes in New Guinea from people who had relatives there. Publicity should be given to earthquakes in the newspapers if it is not dona on scare lines, on the ground that most scares are avoidable if the right precautions are taken. The greatest harm is done by scare rumours which circulate about earthquakes, and when newspapers publish the facts they do a service that is worth while to the community.

Earthquakes the Weather "No close connexion has been proved between earthquakes and the weather," Mr Baird said, when asked to discuss this popular belief. "A seismologist in the Philippines has, however, pointed out that such a belief has existed for more than 2000 years. The reason behind it seems to be that people remember the effects that follow volcanic eruptions associated with earthquakes on the Mediterranean rather than the conditions before the earthquake. These eruptions are followed by palls of smoke and the. conditions usually associated with earthquakes. "It is possible," he added, an reply to a further inquiry, "that changes in barometric pressure caused by the weather popularly associated with earthquakes may be 'the last straw,' may have a trigger effect in prematurely releasing earth strains."

Early Earthquake Recalled The recent "swarm" of earthquake shocks (36 were recorded during 24 hours over the week-end) caused seismologists to view with less scepticism the report of an early missionary that after a severe earthquake in the fjord district in 1829 the ground continued to move for days, Mr Baird said. He considered that the recent conditions were probably similar to those in 1829, the repetition occurring, as might have been expected, about 100 years later. The main shocks on this occasion, at 5.20 a.m. and 11.16 a.m. on Saturday, were located beyond Queenstown, possibly out at sea, and were followed by a similar series of minor shocks. Asked whether earthquakes could be predicted, Mr Baird said that no seismologist had yet claimed to be able to predict the time of earthquakes, although it was possible to gain an idea of where earthquakes were likely to occur at some future date, more particularly the extensions of former fault movements.