MATERIAL LOSSES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 1 June 1914, Page 5

MATERIAL LOSSES.

LONDON, May 31

The Empress of Ireland's insurances at Lloyd's are £27,000 on the hull, £200,000 on the cargo, and £100,000 on the freight and disbursements, while the individual policies on passengers' lives and effects are estimated at another £100,000. A Mansion House fund has been opened. The newspapers emphasise that the nature of the disaster has nullified many of the precautions carried out since the Titanic catastrophe. M. Poincare telegraphed to the King his personal condolence and France's great sympathy. Silver bars, amounting to a million dollars, en route to England, and large quantities of valuable mail matter were lost. WELLINGTON, May 31. The Prime Minister has sent the following telegram to the Prime Minister of Canada: "On behalf of the Government and the people of New Zealand,' I desire to express sincere sympathy with our sister dominion in the appalling loss of life which has taken place in the foundering of the steamship Empress of Ireland, and our heartfelt condolence with the relatives and friends of those wh© have perished."

Mr Massey also cabled asking for the ' names of New Zealanders' on the passenger list, stating whether saved or lost.

In reply to the first, Mr Massey, on Saturday afternoon, received the following reply, sent from Ottawa at 12.45 p.m.: "Prime Minister, Dunedin.—On behalf of the Government and people of Canada, I send deep and sincere appreciation of your message, and our warmest sympathy for those in your Dominion who have been bereaved by the loss of relatives and friends in this appalling disaster.— (Signed) Borden."

In reply to the other message, the following was received: "New Zealand saloon passengers on the Empress of Ireland were: Colonel Bloomfield, Mrs Bloomfield and Miss H. Bloomfield, of Auckland; Mrs F. W. Price and Miss Townshend, address unknown. Miss Townshend was saved, but I fear the Bloomfield family and Mrs Price were lost. '(Signed) Borden."