GISBORNE'S SAFETY

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11449, 25 February 1931, Page 7

GISBORNE'S SAFETY

POST-EARTHQUAKE ORGANISATION.

PItEPAKATIONS COiIPLETED. details of /the scheme. TWELVE, MAJOR SECTIONS. • ■; w--t- . ■ ! Taking heed of' the lessons 'provided by the earthquake' disaster in Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne lias made every preparation to deal with the position should a similar visitation be inflicted on Mhis-town. Recently a meeting .of varioiis citizens of the town was hold and committees established to attend to the different sections of work which must necessarily follow in the train 'of any such happening. Some particulars of tlio arrangements made wer e placed before hist evening’s meeting of the Borough Council, The Mayor (Mr. D. W. Coleman) briefly' explained the steps taken in this connection, also paying a warm tribute to tho work of Lt.-Col. K. y. Gambrill in organising the body to administer tho town in ease of disaster. Should such a sad eventuality arise tho town will immediately ho placed in; charge of a body known as tho Citizens’ Emergency Committee, to comprise the Mayor, the senior military officer, members of tho council and a committee of citizens. The emergency organisation lias been divided into 12 sections, each to. bo administered, by certain, local residents appointed by the cojmmittee, and in a detailed programme placed before last evening’s meeting these different sections were laid down as follows, the respective duties being

given in paten theses^ , Medical (care of injured and sick ; JUsUblisLment of field hospitals; mecli•cal and surgical supplies; mortuary arrangements).; sanitation and public health (works' for same) ; water supply and lighting power (water supply; repairs to sewerage system ;• lighting and power); refugee (maintenance of refugee camp; information service; missing friends, relatives etc.), post, telegraph and wireless (emergency wireless and tem(porary telephone service) ; provost service (search. for' injured; police matters; road traffic control; special police, pickets and patrols; law and order ; inspections of schools and public buildings) ; lire department (firoiiwilting appliances, pumps and cinerceuev appliances; supply (provision of food, bedding, clotiling, housing, tents and fuel; baking bread; cookin c food; emergency lighting) ; transport (water, laud and air) ; works service (demolition of unsafe buildings • construction of shelters; provision of building materials ; .cai penters, plumbers etc.) ; communications <immediate inspection of . loads, bridges and district communications generally ’; runners, messages etc.) ; printing" (maintenance of printing or - other means of distributing instructions or news; preparation of authentic reports). ...... In forwarding to the council details of the organisaton, Lt.-Col. Cambria wrote as follows: “In tlio'case of such an emergency it is of course the duty of the council to take all measures necessary to cope with the situation. It is realised that it is also the duty oi all citizens to assist the .council m so doing. The organisation of an emergency committee to function with tile council immediately alter any such happening .is therefore thought to bo most desirable in view of recent experiences. With tins end in view the committee lias undertaken the organisation of twelve services which wo anticipate would jo urgently required. Each or these services is in the hands of a chairman and a deputy, who are lully acuuainted with the details or Ins soivice. The conuntiteo consists therefor o of the heads of those twelve services and tlieir deputies ; each / committeeman, in turn has Ins sU p* | committee, and all are prepared to A function under the Borough author-

itics “it is realised that any organisation now set up and any plan o action decided upon must in tn-c event of the happening of such a uisuster be very considerably .affected by the circumstances. . it is nioi e tiiau probable that only a percentage of the committee and sub-committee meu will ultimately be available, and that many tentative arrangeinen-s decided upon may be found to be nnpradticablc. The thought that ■ now put into the scheme however should be made available tor immediate use in the event of the emergency by whoever steps mto the breach at the time, and tins would result in a considerable saving or tim.-i and thought at a moment wlipn •time is essential and clarity ot thought exceedingly difficult. Moreover, it is felt' that the discussion ol the questions arising as a rcsimof the formation _ot the committee will imbuo many citizens with a .sen. of their responsibilities and would result in a readier response should the emergency unlortunatc.lv nnse “The committee suggests that copies of the reports under the skeleton organisations be made at the expense of the council, and that eaclh niomber of the committee together with the members of the council should be furnished with a copy, to be Kept in some readily accessible 1«• - against the happening of tho crncigenev. It is also ashed _ that tho council-s approval be obtained to t o scheme, in order that member ot tt e committee acting under the should have some semblance or authority. There are many othm ques lions that require to be discussed. Those, however, are perhaps matters for the council than foi a emergency committee. “In view of our isolation ami M the immediate necessity for iat ini food supplies, it would Pt;;baor b“ necessary to commandeer a 1 supo • within the. Borough, dimiW stricken. This raises lega 1 which, without lcgislatmii, would be liard to overcome. On 0 . | hand, it would bo essential that surd f steps be taken, whether or not tho authority existed. These and other questions should he considered bj council, and where necessity icP r ® mentations for complete authority on such an emergency co be - yourself and the council should per laps be made to the Government“lt vests with the council, however to say whether or not. these matters will be further gone into. “Tho reports now furnished are not entirely complete, as fiom b lfS rtt rtc. ‘law not hS received. In the committees SBoTS** a ootoma a| ,0 jow submitted 'is. necessary, vbut it m ot little use unless it is; from time to time revised and kept -up. to. .&*:_• Accordingly; iti is suggested that thirSmmittee meet annually.at the ♦direction of the council, and that as ® when;, necessary the scheme should be J revised. . Or G. r Bradley Smith pointed out that credit iu" connection with , the work ■ was. also clue to Major A. • Muir, Dr. A. L. Singer and Mr. Geo. Nicholls. With Dt,-Col.. Gambrill, ' they had practically originated the scheme at an informal discussion. Thanks were also expressed to Mr. J, . Gardper for drawing up a plan of the scheme.• , ~ ~ On , the motion of the Mayor, the scheme was adopted, thereby giving , the necessary: authority to act to. tlie nien mentioned in the programme drawn! tipi':- g;, gv yv It •'was also .resolved to make- copies ofrtho.plan'aud distribute them as suggested ‘ in, tlie letter, above.