West Coast Earthquake Fund

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31723, 5 July 1968, Page 8

West Coast Earthquake Fund

'Sir,—With the permission of my employers, I wish to collect money to help those people on the West Coast who still need assistance. To me this is just a small token of thanks to those who provide us with coal, timber, and one of the most beautiful scenic areas in the world Perhaps others would like to do likewise.—Yours, etc., CARPET WORKER. June 24, 1968.

[The Rev. Michael Smart, secretary of the Inangahua Earthquake Disaster Appeal Fund, replies: “The thoughtful concern of ‘Carpet Worker’ is typical of that being shown by many groups and individuals throughout New Zealand. Your correspondent, along with anyone else who contributes to the fund, can be assured that our committee will do everything it can to see that those in need of financial assistance receive some help. Where money has been needed for immediate requirements, this has come from donations made available by Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and other churches. The greatest demand, however, will arise when people know both the amount of their insurance settlement (if they were insured) and the reinstatement costs. We expect the applicants for assistance from the earthquake fund to come mainly from those who were under-insured, without insurance, or from farmers and private mine owners, who have lost possessions excluded from insurance covers (e.g., water well, damage to farm land, and mining equipment). Application forms are now available for people to apply to the fund, and such applications received will be dealt with solely on the grounds of the financial needs of each applicant, relative to other applications received. The committee has already received generous support from Christchurch and the rest of Canterbury, but as $11.5(10 will not go very *ben spread over the whole Coast, we look forward to hearing

from ‘Carpet Worker’ and others of like mind.”]