Rentals not waived for flood victims

Press, 22 July 1980, Page 6

Rentals not waived for flood victims

PA . . Dunedin Taieri flood victims who Haye had no telephones for several weeks will still -have .tip pay the full rental to the Post Office. //</■ : of the Taieri flood’.. emergency committee waSdtdid yesterday that the Po.st /Office refused' to waive femtai'cjiarges those ':flbode£hiojiseholds that had Ti'ad 'ng? j since the flbo'ds’/six weeks?.ag6. ■ - The Committee learned of the Post Office’s ruling after making an approach to the member of Parliament for /Glutha. L (Mr;-R.‘ M.. Gray). It ’will now-take-the smatter to thevPostmaster-General (Mr Couch). \ About 50 houses on the Taieri Plain are still uninhabited and up to 15 may be written off as total losses. The. Department of Social /Welfare js still paying an emergency benefit to 45 people and has authorised the payments to continue until the. end of September. The benefits are being paid to those farmers and

workers on the plain who have lost their livelihoods in the floods. The situation will be reviewed every four weeks.

The department originally processed 75 applications for the emergency benefit, but 30 of them ceased when other incomes were found for the recipients. The department is also paying an accommodation allowance to 25 families living with friends or in motels. The department is paying $60.90 to married couples and an additional <512.50 for each child. Any shortfall in accommodation costs is being met by insurance companies.

The remaining water on the plain is exepcted to be drained within 10 days and ancilliary pumping will probably cease by Thursday. The Taieri flood emergency committee is trying to tell people, as politely as possible, why it prefers cash than goods and articles for flood victims. The committee says it' is

becoming embarrassed by the number of organisations, firms, and persons who are arranging for clothes, toys, and other articles to be sent to Mosgiel to help Taieri flood victims. The committee would rather receive gifts of cash which attracts a dollar-for-dollar Government subsidy. A public appeal had been opened but money was coming in very slowly, said the committee’s chairman (Mr K. L. Pearson) yesterday. The committee’s welfare officer (the Rev. C. Jamieson) said that he felt that people were not going to respond in money but in kind which created distribution problems. He told the committee yesterday that it should not accept cash with stipulations on the use of the money attached.

The Salvation Army was holding thousands of dollars in Wellington given for Wellington floods but which could not be used because of the stipulations, he said.