COMMUNITY EFFORT

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 77, 1 April 1931, Page 15

COMMUNITY EFFORT

CLEANING UP NAPIER

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT

The demolition of buildings in Napier which have been damaged beyond repair and the clearance of the sites is to receive immediate attention, and sk endeavour" is to be made by the Napier Commission to-, organise a community, effort in which the interested property owners will take part, says the "Hawkes Bay Herald." Mr. J. S. Barton, chairman of -the Commission, said that the question of demolition was to be tackled from two angles. The first involved the walls and structures which were dangerous, and it was proposed to go ahead in excoss of the powors which were at prosent available in the hope that Parliament would later legalise the Commission's action. It was the intention to pull down all walls and structures which the surveyors reported as dangerous, but in most cases the work was being done at' the request of the owners of the property. The Government, said' Mr. Barton, had been pressed) to undertake the comprehensive clearing of the sites of business premises in the devastated area. The Commission was sending out demolition notices, and was receiving replies that the owners of the buildings were penniless and could not afford to have the work done at their wn cost. . ' . ' . "It must be obvious that if the Government is going to help to the best of its ability and fulfil its promise, no rebuilding can commence until the sites aro cloared," said Mr. Barton. "If the owners are unable to clear them, but look to the State to finance rebuilding, it is clear the amount the State is able to give must be divided between clearing and rebuilding. In other words, clearing the sites must be part of theplan of rebuilding and must come out of a fixed figure." . There would be no doubt that the psychological effect of having all the sites, in the devastated area cleared would be very greaj, It was definite that it would be possible in less than a month to say where permanent rebuilding could start. TJie 'committee in charge of town planning was pushing -ahead with its , work, but it was not to be thought that it would be possible to make an immediate start on every building line in the town. It would, however, be possible for the Commission to mark out those sites which would require further consideration and release others on which permanent rebuilding could be gone on with immediately.