EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 170, 14 April 1932, Page 12

EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

Local Committees Disband ‘ ACTIVITIES REVIEWED Hastings, April 13. The local committees formed in Hastings and Napier shortly after the earthquake for the purpose of dealing with the local distribution of the relief funds have now held their final meetings as full committees, and their work is to all intents and purposes completed. Sub-committees of the main committees, however, will be kept in existence for the purpose of dealing with the more or less ■ trifling matters which will no doubt from time to time arise and need attention.

The Hastings main committee held its final meeting a fortnight ago, and the final meeting of the Napier committee was held on Monday. In reviewing the work of the Napier committee Mr. W. Harvey, chairman, gave an interesting account of how the relief funds had been spent. “The question has often been asked,” he said, “why payments out of the fund were not made by way of grants right from the beginning. When the fund was about £190,000 the committee realised that some people had ways and means of borrowing money to repair their houses. Therefore, it was decided to give the money out on loan meanwhile, and so be fair to everybody. 1 honestly think that the procedure followed by the committee was a just one.” The committee in Napier, Mr. Harvey added, had received 1365 claims for Assistance toward fire losses, and 1186 claims, representing loans of £6799 altogether, were approved. The relief of the sick and injured was one of the first considerations, and next was the consideration of the claims for permanent maintenance brought forward by widows and dependants. There were 183 claims of that sort from the whole of the earthquake area, and grants totalling £46,117 were made to the 114 cases approved. Except in cases where applicants had asked that the, whole of their annuities should be allotted to them in a lump sum, the fund had been disbursed by way of annuity. Each, widow would receive £l/2/6 per week, with 15/- for each child up to the age of sixteen years. Applications received and passed for the repair of dwellings in Napier, Taradale, and Westshore, numbered 3322, and involved an expenditure of £130,176. A total of 1080 applications were received from residents in the county area, and the expenditure involved was £37,545, making a total of £167,721.

The following are some of the chief items quoted in a statement made by the speaker. Receipts: Food sales, £6691; clothing sales, £755; cinema receipts at McLean Park, £1117; transport recoveries, £992; sale of buildings from Nelson Park camp, £lBO. Expenditure : Wages, £4051; gratuities, £752; purchases and expenses of departments, £26,133; grants for losses sustained, £6955; health services, £518; cartage of water, £302; Nelson Park camp, £1339; Greenmeadows temporary hospital, £945; food kitchens, £758; hospital expenses, £18,713; Red Cross Society (for relief of distress), £176; office expenses, £SSI.