Grey River Argus FRIDAY, February 6, 1931. COUNTING THE COST.

Grey River Argus, 6 February 1931, Page 4

Grey River Argus FRIDAY, February 6, 1931. COUNTING THE COST.

In the area of 1800 square miles, ninety miles north and south, and twenty miles inland, which has been ravaged in Hawke’s Bay by earthquake and fire, the destruction will not be covered by mucii less an amount than five millions sterling. It is difficult at a distance to comprehend the calamity, but there is the possibility that ■much of the damage is never go•ing to be made good. It is a good sign that railway traffic can today be restored to the centre of jthe disturbance at Napier, but •road damage is going to cost projbably far more than it did in the 1929 disaster. Almost a quarter of a million was sunk in the drainage, sewerage and water services Napier and Hastings, (while those two towns at the end I of the 1928-29 financial year had I,a debt of £236.000 for streets, footpaths, etc., and the electric supply, outlay was £lBB,OOO, and Napier I in addition had a liability on its i trams of £BO,OOO, and there was one of £65,000 for municipal buildings in the two towns. The values, of improvements then were set i down at £2,800,000 in Napier and

j £1,900,000 in Hastings. That the ’'cost of restoration will be enormous is thus evident, and in view of the latest announcement that the insurance companies are determined to pay out nothing on the places destroyed by fire unless a special premium had been paid on [account of earthquake loss, shows that the loss is going to fall on [the people to almost the whole eljtent. Thus the call for help is even greater than was to have been anticipated. If the insurlan.ee companies fear that it would I ruin them to pay out, it can be | judged that- (their refusal will ‘mean ruin indeed for a great many who have had their properties burnt. The repercussions .of the catastrophe may be even serijOus for the whole country, as the I timid oversea capitalists have I given a dangerous lead in lowerI ing quotations for Dominion [stocks. They are, however, along | with the underwriters thanking their stars Wellington was not the scene of the upheaval, as well

they may, for a similar visitation lat the capital city would mean a | repetition of the ’Frisco and 'Japanese calamities of 1906 and 1 1923 respectively. No doubt the iless’on will be to make insurances higher in some places at least, so that it is time the State looked again into the matter of enlarging its stake in insurance. It can be seen that private capitalists are by no means philant.rophists in their corporate capacity. While it would be foolish however to institute a study of our

seismic faults in the interests of [insurance companies, it is certainly, prudent to reconsider the building question in the light of | safety. The schools could be built lof timber in many localities 'where brick, and concrete is being used to?day without any loss [of efficiency and at the same time [a greater guarantee of safety. We have to recognise that New Zealand is a country where earthquakes are a natural phenomenon certain to recur at intervals, and even London papers are remarking on the fact, that prediction has been falsified in the present in|stance only insofar as the strike |was expected in another quarter further northward. It is common knowledge that we have two great fault lines, the major one curving from the east of tire South Island main range across the other island towards Tauranga, and another to the westward. It is quite likely, however, that disturbances may centre some dis-

tance off the actual line of fault. • Our architecture must therefore j be henceforth adapted to the ex-1 listing conditions, and it is time to I ,'insist that we take a lesson from' 11 Japan in the matter of promoting | s scientific seismic observation and r 'such measures of precaution as -[lire instituted by the Japanese in L p country that is very much akin s,to our own in a very great num- - [ ber of ways. The news from the ~i stricken area is now of the names yof the dead and injured, and it ■ bears out the worst apprehensions. I Ilf ever there were an inducement ■ [for New Zealanders to lend their . | aid it is that which the plight of jthe Hawke’s Bay populace gives. ■ It is a credit to the North Island- > ers that they are providing so well ■ for the refugees, and South Island- : ers should each and all emulate ■ them by poviding the fullest finlancial assistance. The appeal which the Member for Westland to-day issues to the district is one; | that ought certainly to touch a I | responsive chord, and inspire one land all 'to do their utmost in I helping a despoiled populace to ; surmount the distress which has I been inflicted on them by the .greatest calamity New Zealand! (has known since first the Euro-1 peaii race set foot upon its shores. ■