English Hospitality

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 266, 6 August 1931, Page 11

English Hospitality

Sir, —Our cricketers at Home are unanimous in their praise of the hospitality of their English hosts. Our footballers also, and indeed most of the New Zealand people visiting Great Britain, are full of gratitude for all the friendliness and consideration displayed for their welfare and wellbeing. This is only right and proper, and 1 thrill with pride to be told of these things; for I, too, have happy memories of a boyhood and , youth, spent in the Motherland. However, 1 am at this juncture bound to contrast the treatment meted out to visiting New Zealanders at Home with the treatment meted out to resident Englishmen in Hawke’s Bay. It is now six months since the disastrous earthquake of F ebruary 3, and it may surprise our people here to learn something of the conditions still prevailing in the■ stricken area. 1 write in no nastv spirit, for 1 believe after many years of residence in New Zealand, it is not the desire nor the wish of our people that such a state of affairs should continue. My business frequently takes me to Hawke’s Bay, and as would be natural, I visit my fellow-countrymen resident in that district. What are the facts? In the first place, no relief payments have been made to any businessman in that area, all are waiting, expecting daily news which never comes. Some friends have recommenced business in a modest way at great sacrifice to themselves. Since the disaster postal charges have increased 100 per cent. Telegrams have increased 25'per cent., whilst there has been imposed an extra charge for the installation of the automatic telephone. In addition, postal box rentals have fallen due, as ,also have the half-yearly telephone accounts No consideration whatever was extended toward the sufferers, who either had to pay or lose their services. Many businessmen are still sleeping on borrowed beds, and sitting on boxes in the absence of chairs. Numbers of men, whose businesses were wrecked on February 3, are absolutely penniless, and are working on relief works. Owing to the house difficulty, rents in many instances have been increased against men now out of employment. After citing definite instances in support of the above statements, the persons concerned being Englishmen with families who have been residents of, Hawke’s Bay for from 10 to 20 years, and lost their all, “Justice” concludes as follows :—

“Surely after six months of real poverty the committee appointed or the Government could do something to assist the plight of these highly deserving settlers. Settlers of the type mentioned are unlikely Ao parade their position, nor are they l : kely to apply to the Charitable Aid. Board for help. How some of them manage to exist is a mystery, whilst it is quite certain that the privations experienced, the shocks endured, and the constant anxiety and uncertainty concerning the future must" in the years tell their story, whatever may be my changing fortune during the years yet to come. I shall ever remember the earthquake sufferers in Hawke’s Bay with feelings of great pride, mingled with hard and bitter thoughts concerning the powers that be, for., their delay in permitting such prolonged suffering. The New Zealand people have responded admirably to the call for help, but our Government has hopelessly failed in its duty, and in my opinion, there is no country iti the world able to show us greater points for “delay.” British justice is a fine and noble sentiment, loved by us all, but let the term never be used in connection with the Hawke’s Bay earthquake relief.”—l am, etc., "JUSTICE.” Palmerston North, August 1.