EARTHQUAKES

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1932, Page 6

EARTHQUAKES

NEW ZEALAND’S SAFETY

GEOLOGIST CONFIDENT,

SYDNEY, August 15. ! ! T)r P- ‘Marshall, consulting geologist ‘to the New. Zealand Public Works Department, and' chairman of the geography section of the Science Congress,, whichjopened in Sydney this week,: has armed himself with a great deal of interesting data concerning the disastrous .earthquakes in Hawke’s Bay. •; This \ jotA form the basis of an imporiant on earth movewith -particular reference to the fate, of the-feoininion. If there are any scientists who have alarmist ideas on this sub|§<k, they will probably be silenced by Dr Marshall.

,?Wej have in New Zealand,” said Dr Marshall, “a number of earthquake predictors, w'ho keep'the people in a istate : -,of 'nervousness and suspense. Their? predictions are based on personal i; prejudices without scientific foundation, ; jOur newspapers now refuse io publish; rtheir v* ews > Person--al]y v I think’New Zealand is quite safe. All the evidence goes to show that the Haw ; ke\s had been free from serious eartfiqu akes for 10,000 years before the last' disturbane. I do not think that "Hawke’s Bay will hove another serious > shock for -many years, if at all, for the earth's purfaee at -that point has now, been relieved.” ; n.i-Dr i-MarsMlf' that people - :riowi returning-';-to Hawke’s Bay and Napier was .being rebuilt. . The remark Svas qften heard 1 that New Zealand : Earthquake, idjsappear. As a matter of fact, New .Zealand appeared to grow with each earthquake. Earthquakes in the Dominion had an elevating, rather than a depressing, tendency. As a pf last'.year’s earthquake the Napier Harbour Board had an ad'difcronial 6000 acres of land, which promised to.be fertile. The land had '■risen iseven'feet at -Napier ■■ and up' to niiie (feet At points further up the coast.|! In the big earthquake in 1885 at Wellington the land rose seven feet. ■ At Murchison,-in -1929, there was also an elevating- tendency. Of course, New, 'Zealand, was subject to earth movements, but he . did not think there was iihUcfCdanger of a big shock. > The fact 'tlrat there was an elevating tendency ’ waS 3 piost hopeful and encouraging.

Alarmist .reports concerning the Ara'puii'i 'dam iyere. discounted bje Dr'Marshall,! who- said' that any suggestion tSiat- there was danger to life and property was pure- fiction. The dam was perfectly secure, but it was a fact that the powerhouse had given some trouble. Dt Marshall-is ~not optimistic as to I the prospect-of-, finding ojl in New. Zea-, I land. Oil',' was seeping oiit' in twerity | of thirty pi aces,'Jmi£jlioyeriljaeut .'.as- | sistande irT>' the sl Ise'arifih' ‘was "Ti'rriited owing to the economic position. However, companies were doing tfieir .a groat deal, of money. "