“SHAKY ISLES”

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11737, 8 September 1932, Page 5

“SHAKY ISLES”

DAMAGE TO NEW ZEALAND REPORTS OE EARTHQUAKES “Something ought to be done about correcting the prevalent impression in Australia, that New Zealand is a land of constant earthquakes. People, think that every New Zealand cablegram about an earthquake has been censored here and the facts about the number of people killed 'hidden. The Australian press is always terming us the Shivery Isles, . nr the Shaky Isles.” Those were some of the remarks made by Mr S. G. Holland, manager of the Now Zealand hockey team that toured Australia, on his return to Christchurch. Mr Holland claimed that inestimable harm, was being done to New Zealand by the reports. As..an illustration of his point, ( Mr Holland showed a reporter a clipping from the “Crookwell Gazette’’ a. New South Wales country paper. It dealt with the arrival of the Now Zealand hockey team under the following headings; “Enzcds Invade Crookwell. Hockey Reps, from the Bickctty Isles.” “That is only one example”, said Mr Holland. “We got it in tho press everywhere wo went, and people spoke to us about it. I spoke over the air on a, number of occasions, and was introduced as the manager of the hockey team from the Shaking Isles. “A little while ago a cablegram was received in Australia about an earthquake 140 miles from Wellington—somewhere in the sea. An Australian friend, on reading it, said to me: ‘That’s censored, I’ll,bet. I. wonder how many were killed.’ That’s tho sort of thing you have to put up with. “New Zealand tourists in Australia are looked upon as lucky people—lucky to escape the earthquakes in New Zealand and their chance of being killed. Dozens of people have told me that they wouldn’t come to New Zealand because of the earthquakes. “When we have shakes here that are only technical ones after all, with the centre of disturbance thousands of miles awpy, I don’t) think the reports should bo cabled abroad, for .New Zealand is being done inestimable harm by their publication.”