HELP IN ’QUAKE ZONE

Hawera Star, Volume L, 5 March 1931, Page 4

HELP IN ’QUAKE ZONE

GRANT FOR UNEMPLOYED TOTAL OF £IO,OOO AVAILABLE. REVISION OF WORlv SCHEME. (By Telegrapn—l'resa Association.) WELLINGTON, March 4.

Definite arrangements placing employment in the earthquake-stricken area in Hawke’s Bay upon a businesslike basis have been made as the result of a special visit to the district of the Minister of Labour. Grants totalling £IO,OOO have been made available to. the authorities at Hastings and Napier for employment purposes, with the result that the whole question of work will be placed on a revised footing. The Minister stated to-night that ho had made the trip as it was realised the local bodies in the afflicted area were not in a position to take advantage of the second and fifth schemes of the Unemployment Board because a large proportion of the rates had not been paid. Mr Smith intimated that with the approval of the Minister of Finance the Unemployment Board had agreed to make £SOOO available at Napier to March 31. It was the unanimous opinion of the committee that the restoration of the public utilities was the most pressing need. About 400 were registered as unemployed at Napier. A large number of residents had given their services voluntarily during the past few weeks. It was now desired to return to the wages system. The pay would be at the rate of 14s a day. The work would be rationed. A total of 509 men was registered as out of work at Hastings and many were doing volunteering work. The unanimous opinion of the business community was that the men should now be paid. The most essential work was cleaning up the debris in the business areas. A grant of. £IOOO a week until March 31 was approved. Conditions similar to those at Napier were laid down.

NAPIER’S POPULATION. EIGHT PER. CENT WOMEN. NAPIER, March 4. Boasting a population of over 19,000 a few weeks ago, Napier now has 5700 citizens, according to registrations. On February 21 the total was 2300. The present total includes 570 nonresidents and about 400 from places on the outskirts. There are about eight women to every hundred men. The Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Meat Company hopes to. resume killing mutton and lamb at Whakatu this month or early next month. In the meantime the company, besides Nelsons, Ltd. (Tomoana) and Borthwick’s (Pakipaki) are arranging killing elsewhere on their clients’ account. Beef killing is impossible at present.

FARMERS’ CLUB DONATION. SYMPATHY FROM HOME. WELLINGTON, March' 4. The Farmers’ Club of England, of which the Governor-General, Lord Bledisole, was one time chairman, has cabled His Excellency the sum of ten guineas, accompanied by the following message: “The Farmers’ Club committee ask you to convey their sincere sympathy to brother agriculturists who suffered through the earthquake and send ten guineas for your disposal.”

FURTHER SHAKES OCOUR, TREMORS THIS MORNING. NAPIER, March 5. Two heavy tremors were felt this morning. A proposal has been made that the Pest Office clock, which was stopped by the ’quake on February 3, should be placed in the museum with the foundation stones of prominent buildings, or used as exhibits to be let into the sea wall on the Marine Parade. It is expected that all Napier’s unemployed, chiefly unskilled labour, will be employed within a few days. The weather is still overcast. SYDNEY NAVAL DEMONSTRATION. (United Prana Association—By Electric Telegraph Copy right, j SYDNEY, March 4. Two hundred officers and marines from H.M.S. Dunedin will march through Sydney streets to-morrow to aid the earthquake relief fund.