QUAKE DAMAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 40, 15 August 1942, Page 6

QUAKE DAMAGE

. +. , 40 BUILDINGS IN HAND EXAMINATIONS CONTINUE ■ \ ■ , It was reported at the meeting: of the City Council on Wednesday night that 65 notices had been served upon owners -of buildings ■ damaged by the two earthquakes requiring them to arrange contracts for repair, strengthening and restoration of their buildings in the public interest, but these are by no . means all that need urgent attention. Probably there are another 60, and, difficult as was the shortage of labour for chimney repair, the difficulties ahead in connection with restoration and repair work in the city are becoming greater.' The city work is being done by.private contract, and all Wellington area contractors are fully busy with the work already in hand; that is, -with about 40 of the 65 buildings in respect of which notices have already been served; and it is probable that it will be some time before the rest of the damaged buildings can be reached, unless contractors outside Wellington can bring men and gear to speed up the work. That brings forward again the difficulty of accommodation"; another hundred or two hundred men would jam Wellington accommodation v^ll beyond overcrowding. '__; DANGER. Apart from man-power, there are difficulties, over scaffolding; already ,/ the available modern tubular steel scaffolding is in place and a return is being made to wood, which is more expensive in material and in hours of ' erection. Necessarily, scaffolding was rushed up to reach the tophamper that 1 was actually threatening, and this stage of the work is still not nearly completed. Restoration, when plans are completed and materials, including . a big quantity of- steel, are assembled, will be a far longer job than tearing down tophamper. Little additional work can be undertaken unless out- , side contractors bring men and gear - to Wellington. ; So far no total -demolitions of city buildings have been ordered other than the badly-strained city-owned buildings in the Town Hall area; these have been ruled out as beyond economic repair and as too • dangerous for occupancy for any purpose. Nearby is the Working Men's Club. It is also city property, and is very near to the" demolition state, but is probably repairable. > Two tall buildings in the, vicinity have been strained very severely, but both stand as they were' after the ~ shakes, awaiting free contractors; so also the King's Chambers, an example among many examples of the tonnage of useless tophamper that was the fashion 25 and 30 years ago, and that tophamper is cracked and threatens the business part of Willis Street.- ---• '. —.■■■■ '"' . '" ' *