CABINET VISITS SCENE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 33, 9 February 1931, Page 10

CABINET VISITS SCENE

ADMINISTRATION OF FUND

Kealising that Cabinet needs the fullest information' as to the extent of the disaster in order that there may be no delay in the programme of rehabilitation, the Prime Minister (the Eight Hon. G. W. Forbes) will,~together with those Ministers of the Crown who have not'already visited the scene, leave to-night at 8.30 by special train for Hastings and Napier. This train will also carry provisions and equipment. The Ministerial party will make a day's tour of the district and return to Wellington to-morrow;night. Mr, Forbes is extremely anxious that there should be no delay in the re-es-tablishment of the devastated area, and the first meeting of tho Central Committee, set up to administer the relief funds, has been called for "Wednesday morning at 11.30. An hour earlier there- will be a meeting of the West Coast Committee to consider the transferring of £10,000 held by that committee to the new fund. While discussing tho question of earthquake relief, the Prime Minister, said that a Treasury inspector left' Wellington on Friday morning for the purpose of assisting the preliminary organisation of the local committee's relief fund offices in the afflicted areas. On Saturday, the Public Trustee, who is the executive officer of the Central Committee, left for Hawkes Bay, and he will assist in the organisation of the machinery necessary to link up the Central Committee with each local committee, and at the same time will link up* the District Public Trust organisations with each committee. The Prime Minister stated that preliminary grants had already been made from the : Consolidated Fund to enable urgent cases of distress to be met in the localities concerned.