THE EARTHQUAKE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 66, 17 February 1931, Page 2

THE EARTHQUAKE

REFUGEES AT SHOWGROUNDS

EVACUATION IN FORTNIGHT

“Bis; things were attempted, and big tilings were done bv the people of Palmerston North in the evacuation of the stricken residents of Napier and Hastings,” stated the Mayor at last evening’s meeting of the Palmerston North City Council. “The people responded nobly to the call for help, aiuf I have no hesitation in stating that it will redound to this city’s everlasting credit that in their hour of trial every refugee whose destination was Palmerston North, the aggregate being about 5000, was billetted safely and cared for immediately on arrival.” Mr Graham said that the whole cost of refugee relief in Palmerston North was being borne by the central relief committee in 'Wellington. A local executive, comprising the Mayor, Messrs J. A. Nash, M.P., C. Louisson, J. R. Hardie and the Public Trustee, had been set up, and as soon as the present rush of work was over it was proposed to call a public meeting and appoint a committee to organise relief measures and arrange finance. Insofar as expenditure on the refugees was concerned there would bo no financial demand on the council. Cr Eliott: How long will they he at the Showgrounds? The Mayor: My aim is to have the Showgrounds evacuated within a fortnight. Brigadier-General Young will“1)0 in Palmerston North on Tuesday and I will strongly represent to him that Palmerston North should be relieved of this responsibility as soon as possible. The racecourse is needed at the end of March, and the Showgrounds are under contract. Should these obligations have to be foregone, there might be further expense devolving upon the central committee. For other reasons it is desirable that the Showgrounds should be evacuated as soon as possible. Regarding the position of the refugees themselves, the Mayor stated that able-bodied men were needed for restoration work, but the women would have to be kept here for some time longer. In Napier and Hastings blocks of houses were being repaired, and as soon as they were fit for occupation the families would be drafted back. The work to be done now was the restoration of confidence among the refugees. Cr. Eliott: 1 am glad to have your assurance that the camps will be evacuated as soon as possible. During the course of the Mayor’s remarks, a telegram arrived from the Red Cross Society at Wellington as follows: “With reference to billeting, the position in Wellington is that we are reaching saturation point. We would advise that you divert further refugees to other centres where accommodation is available.” The Mayor said that the opinion of the Health Department was that refugees should be as close to their home towns as possible, and Palmerston North had, by reason of its geographical position, borne the brunt of the evacuation. “It would appear that in view of the conditions in Wellington, as set out in the telegram, the advisability, of opening up Trentham camp will have to be considered. This is one of the matters that I will refer to Brigadier-General Young,” the Mayor added. “No more admissions in large numbers are being made at the Showgrounds. All additional contingents had been diverted to Wellington, but in view of the latest development some other way will now have to be devised.” At a later stage a telegram from Captain Finlayson, transport officer, was received by the Mayor stating that tire contingent of 100 refugees arriving that night (Monday) would be the last.

SERVICES APPRECIATED

A motion congratulating the electrical staff on the prompt assistance given in restoring services in Napier and Hastings was passed by the Palmerston North Cuy Council last evening.

It was stated that the men had been recalled on Saturday. Cr. Eliott said that on the morning following the disaster a self-contained truck had been despatched with a gang to Napier. The men took a supply of food and a tent, making no demands on local resources, and he had been given to understand that they had been most useful in doing very urgent restoration work. Mr Benjamin, engineer to the Hawke’s Bay Power Board, had written to Mr Muir expressing his thanks for the spontaneous help. Ho had stated that the men had done excellent work in restoring confidence and service.

In moving a vote of appreciation to the staff, Cr. Eliott said that Mr Niven and the men who accompanied him had worked very long hours, with little sleep, and had done very excellent work.

In endorsing the previous speaker’s remarks, Cr. Hudgens said that the managing-secretary of the Hawke’s Bay Power Board had expressed orally to him what Mr Benjamin had stated in the letter to Mr Muir.

“With the object of relieving those in distress at Napier two municipal buses were despatched to bring back refugees,” reported the traffic manager (Mr Patton) to the City. Council last evening. “One bus was used at Napier to convey residents from various parts of the city to camp. One bus, on its way back, dropped where the road had fallen, with the result that the rear springs turned inside out and one of the front springs broke, but nevertheless arrived hack with its passengers. Since the arrival of the refugees the buses have been at their disposal for the purpose of conveying them from one place to another and during the time they were being billeted no fares were taken.” The action of the chairman of the transit committee (Cr. Hodgens) in despatching the buses to Napier was confirmed.

THE CITY’S CONDOLENCE. Sympathy with the bereaved at Napier and Hastings was expressed by the Mayor (Mr A. J. Graham) at the meeting of the Palmerston North City Council last evening. “It js my painful duty to move a motion of sympathy to be conveyed to the Mayors of Napier and Hastings and others who have suffered so disastrously,” said Mr Graham. “I feel that I reflect the opinion of the council when I express our deep sympathy in the terrific loss of life and the inestimable damage. It is almost impossible to describe the desolation and utter ruin of those towns. The scenes that I witnessed early on the morning following the disaster were heartrending and beggared description.” The resolution was carried by the members of the council standing in silence.

MORE REFUGEES ARRIVE. Sixty seven refugees arrived at PalMerston North by the Napier express to-day, the destinations being as follow: —Main Trunk, 20; New Plymouth, 5; Wanganui, 6; Feilding, 2; Wellington, 29; South Island, 5. The refuges were taken as usual to the Showgrounds camp for dinner.

FOUR BODIES IDENTIFIED, THE TOTAL IN NAPIER. Per Press Association. NAPIER, Feb. 16. The few shakes that were recorded in the earthquake area yesterday were very mild ones. A good indication that residents are rapidly settling down is the fact that the schools in Hastings were reopened to-day. The attendances at the various schools on February 1 and this morning were as follow:-—Mahora, 650, now 254; Hastings Central, 485 and 163; High School, 400 and 220; Hastings West, 330 and 159; Parkvale, 425 and 185; Pokahu, 35 and 24; Mangateretere 144 and 24. The convent school will not reopen until further notice. > Further remains of earthquake victims have been identified by the Napier police, in one case the number of a post office savings bank account supplying the clue. Four more identifications of human remains have been made by the police. A body found in the boot shop of F. Thorpe and Co., Hastings Street, has been identified as that of Thomas Atkinson, aged 37, a bootmaker and repairer for the firm. Atkinson was a married man with four children. The property found with remains recovered near Hayne’s butchery in Hastings Street have led the police to identify the body as that of Miss Cecily Theresa Redwood, aged 22, of Cobden Road, Napier. Paper ashes and scraps found in a handbag alongside two female bodies recovered from the footpath in front of McGruer’s, Ltd., in Emerson Street, contained one piece bearing a number -which proved to be that of a post office savings bank account. This led to the conclusion that the two bodies were those of the Misses Ruth and Jane Bryson, two elderly single ladies, of Sealy Road, Napier, who were known t-o have been in the locality at the time of the ’quake. A revision of the total list of dead brings the number to 119 identified and 25 unidentified making 144 altogether. The total was previously given as 145, but it was found that one name had been duplicated. The weather continues fine with a calm sea.

Numbers of slight tremors were felt during the day.

THE FIRST SHOCK. Per Press Association. HASTINGS, Feb. 16. The praiseworthy steps taken to treat injured at Hastings on the day of the destructive earthquake there have been described in a statement by Dr. C. Romaine Wright, superintendent of the Hastings emergency hospital, which the chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Board, Mr C. O. Morse, has handed to the Press. The report was drawn up because of erroneous reports circulated regarding the manner in which operations were performed there.

“I should like to emphasise the fact that the prompt and efficient measures taken would have been absolutely impossible but for the fact that the matron (Sister Williams) and the staff of Royston Hospital were all ready and organised as a complete working unit at the time of the ’quake and were not disorganised in any way,” says Dr. Wright. “Immediately thereafter their whole staff and equipment were utilised as a nucleus around which the Hastings Emergency Hospital came into being. “The fact that Royston Hospital was a well-known private hospital and adjacent to the site of the damage resulted in all casualties being at once taken there. Within half an hour the large lawn adjoining the hospital was filled with patients to the number of approximately 100. Each patient requiring it was on arrival immediately given morphia. RACECOURSE COMMISSIONED. , “Sister Williams and the medical men who were at Royston Hospital at the time at once realised some pi ace would have to be found to accommodate and deal with all casualties. One of these doctors and Mr 11. V. Hoadley made a hurried visit to the tea kiosk at Hastings racecourse, which was judged to be undamaged, and orders immediately were given for , all further cases to be transferred there. Owing to the number of voluntary lorry drivers who also congregated at Royston Hospital gates this was possible without delay. Within two hours of the earthquake every cot case lying on Royston Hospital lawn had been transferred to the racecourse complete with bed and bedding.

“At half-past one in the afternoon operations were commenced in an emergency theatre in the women’s cloakroom at the tea kiosk. Sixty-six operations were performed between 1.30 and approximately 10 p.m. Each case had full surgical anaesthesia and in not one of these cases was anything except sterile dressings used. After all casualties had been dealt with an urgent major abdominal operation was performed, and again sterile dressings and instruments were available. This was rendered possible only by the amazingly efficient organisation of Royston Hospital in general and it 6 theatre staff under the charge of Sister Cooper. To appreciate fully this achievement one needs to be a medical man. While the behaviour of everyone was beyond praise, I desire to stress most strongly the fact that the Royston Hospital staff and organisation were the salvation of Hastings. “Turning from the medical and surgical side of the situation, I should like to express the thanks of the committee to those voluntary workers who appeared as if by magic and took charge of various departments incidental to the hospital. Particularly I desire to stress the value to us of the voluntary cooks who without facilities gave us an ample supply of boiling water immediately, provided us with cups of tea and soup during the day and capped their efforts with a wonderful hot dinner at night.”

HOSPITAL BULLETIN. PATIENTS DISCHARGED. No cases from the earthquake area were admitted to the Palmerston North Hospital yesterday. The following cases were discharged : MRS NORA O’INEILL,,BIS Churchill Street, Hastings. ARCHIBALD McGREGOR, 22 Vigor Brown Street, Napier. LAURIE MURPHY, 177 Wagliorn Street, Napier. Th© following cases were omitted from the previous lists ; JACK McCONNELL (child), admitted on the 9th from the Refugees Camp, Showgrounds. COURTENAY WILSON (child), transfer from Napier Hospital. The following patients have been admitted to the Masterton Hospital, the condition in each case being satisfactory : MRS MARY TAIT, Twyford, Hastings. HAROLD MARQUAND, 310 Churchill Street. Hastings. ALEXANDER CLARK, Arataki Road, Havelock North. ' RAYMOND LESLIE KILFORD, Takapau. MRS THERESA CAMBRIDGE, 512 Burnett Street, Hastings. MRS MARGARET McKENZIE, 905 Willowpark Road, Hastings.

HASTINGS PAPER RESUMES. RETURN OF REFUGEES. Per Press Association. HASTINGS, Feb. 16. It has been agreed that refugees desiring to return to Hastings must apply for a permit 'to the registration officer at Hastings, who will issue a permit which, on production at a railway station, will bo exchanged for a free railway ticket. No liability will be accepted by the authorities for anyone making private arrangements for return by any other means. The Hawke’s Bay Tribune, which, since the first day after the quake till Saturday last carried on a free news service by the publication of a daily news sheet, began republication this afternoon at its former premises, which have been temporarily reconditioned. Though the building was badly damaged the machinery escaped comparatively lightly. The Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, in a message conveying good wishes and congratulations, says: “The Government is indeed grateful to all those who played such a substantial part in meeting the position under such stressful conditions. Now that special committees representative of the various local interests have been set up the great work of bringing the district back to its normal state will be resolutely tackled. This work will be greatly assisted by the inhabitants, whose natural pride in their town will ensure their fullest support and cooperation.” There wore no further ’quakes in the Hastings district to-day or last night excepting one or two extremely light tremors. The weather is fine and cool.

The Royston Private Hospital at Hastings, the medical and nursing staff of which, together with voluntary workers, played such a magnificent part in organising an emergency hospital during the earthquake, is the subject of a public appeal for funds for reconstruction.

The hospital’s work during the disaster was the salvation of the town so far as casualties were concerned, and the present appeal is likely to meet with a ready response and provide the town with a much-needed hospital service.

The large Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital here is not a casualty hospital. The issue of ration cards commenced here this morning, when a new system of feeding the population was introduced.

Under the new system the citizens are divided into five classifications, and the distribution of supplies free of cost is reduced to a minimum.

SAW LANDSCAPE CHANGE. ACCOUNT OF EYE-WITNESS. WELLINGTON, Feb. 17. An account of the ruin and devastation wrought by the recent earthquake is given by Mr H. Desborough, of Khandallah who, at the time of the first eartliquake, happened to be travelling along the Napier-Wairoa road. He saw the whole configuration of the country change in an instant, towering hills melting into valleys, and other hills appearing where formerly streams had flowed. Mr Desborough was a passenger in a service car. The car had just reached a high point in the hills near Moliaka when the first shock was felt. All around the passenger could see bluffs tumbling into the valleys and dust clouds rising where slips had come rushing down. Trees nearby began to wave to and fro, nearly touching the ground, as though in the grip of a tremendous wind. Sheep and cattle dashed terror-stricken in all directions. Two hills fell into the Mohaka River, blocking it completely, and immediately tile waters began to back up behind the dam.

The party continued on toward Wairoa, but came across a slip a mile and a half long, completely blocking the road. Fortunately there was another car on the other side of the debris, and passengers were able to transfer after a long scramble over the shattered road. A further slip only three miles out of Wairoa, where the road had slid away from the side of the hill, leaving a bare cliff face, was overcome by a detour along the railway line and across planks laid on the railway bridge into the town. Fortunately little work has been done on the Mohaka viaduct, planned to be the highest in the Southern Hemisphere, and to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. The foundations were being constructed, and at the time of the quake several men were working in the big steel cylinders ■which were to form the base.

One expert has given it as his opinion that Mohaka was probably the centre of the earthquake area, and from the changes he saw in the country it appears to Mr Desborough that this was so. Fortunately the district was sparsely populated, and the loss of life small.

DESIGN OF BUILDINGS

SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE.

WELLLINGTON, Feb. 17.

With a view to having all the data it is possible to secure on the question of the relationship of building regulations to earthquake resistance, the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, has set up a special committee which will have this information available for Parliament when it meets for its emergency session next month. It is hoped .that by the unification and standardisation of building by-laws greatly increased resistance to stresses due to earthquake may be achieved without any undue increase in cost.

The Prime Minister announced yesterday that in order that as full information and recommendations as possible regarding building regulations should be made available for the forthcoming short session of Parliament, he had set up a special committee under Professor J. E. L. Cull, professor of civil engineering at Canterbury College, to report on the question. The personnel of the committee would he announced later, hut it would include representative building construction engineers and architects. The Prime Minister has arranged that the information collected by the Public Works Department and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research regarding the findings of the geologists in the field concerning the cause of the earthquake, also the evidence deduced from instrumental records, and from the actual buildings, regarding the forces experienced during the recent earthquakes in New Zealand, shall be placed before the committee.

“Consideration will be given to the areas in .which building regulations for earthquake resistance appear from the evidence to be desirable,” said Mr Forbes. ' “Naturally, the committee will have serious regard to the" influence of any proposed regulations on the cost of building; and it is hoped that by unification and standardisation of by-laws relative thereto, greatly increased resistance to stresses due to earthquakes may be achieved without undue increase in cost.”

Before his appointment at the end of 1929 to the chair of civil engineering at Canterbury College, Professor Cull was chief designing engineer to the Public Works Department.

SOUNDINGS AT SEA. GOVERNMENT STEAMER’S TRIP. WELLINGTON, Feb. 17. An important work lias been assigned to the Government lighthouse ship Alatai, which is to carry out an extensive series of soundings in Hawke s Bay to aid the Government geologists and other scientists in their investigation of the causes and effects of the earthquake, and also for the guidance of shipping. The Matai left Wellington at 8 o’clock last night on her usual trip to the northern lighthouses. After having served the lights on her way up the coast, as far as Hawke’s Bay, the Matai will make a cruise from Cape Kidnappers to Portland'lsland, off the southern end of Alaliia Peninsula, where she will land a wireless receiving and transmitting set. On her run from Cape Kidnappers to Portland Island the Matai will carry out a series of soundings, working with her echosounding apparatus, her ordinary sounding machine, and, if necessary, her lead all the way. .... , . From Portland Island the Matai will steam on a direct course to Napier harbour, taking soundings at frequent intervals. She will arrive at Napier on Friday, and there will embark the harbourmaster, Captain H. White-Parsons, and Dr Marshall, Government Geologist. The Matai is also carrying in addition to her own company, Captain J. Fraser, R.N., chief staff officer of the Navy Office, who has had considerable experience in marine survey work, Dr. Barnett, of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department, who lias already visited Napier, and Mr Whiteman, of the staff of the chief telegraph engineer. After leaving Napier the Matai will continue her sounding operations, steaming on any courses in Hawke’s Bay requested by the geologists to test out their theory regarding the origin and seat of the earthquake. It is hoped that the investigations to be made by the Matai will be of great value to the scientists in enabling them to come to some definite conclusions regarding the action of the ’quakes at sea, particularly in Hawke’s Bay. At the same time the series of soundings will be of very great importance in determining to what extent, if any, the sea has shoaled in and about the bay, while they will also enable any shoal patches to be located and marked on the coastal charts for the guidance of mariners. LONDON LOAN? SIR H. BEAUCHAMP’S SUGGESTION. PROPOSAL TO RAISE £2,000,000. The big question to be answered is liow to deal with the financial problem of repairing the damage, said Sir Harold Beauchamp, in referring to the question of restoration in the earthquake zone. He suggested that power should be given to local authorities to raise a loan in London for £2,000,000. The market was favourable, and he was sure that it was sympathetic. Such a loan should be guaranteed by the Government, and he thought it would be obtainable at 41 per cent and issued at par. Owing to the high rate of exchange between London and New Zealand, a premium of about nine per cent could be obtained for the transference of the money. This would amount to £190,000, which could be employed as an additional contribution to the earthquake fund. Sir Harold Beauchamp further suggested that as soon as the money was available it should be placed in the hands of such a body as the Advances to Settlers Office, which should be authorised to make advances for the restoration of premises destroyed by earthquake and fire. He suggested that these loans should not be for less than 21 years, and should bear interest at six per cent. He concluded by stating that the expenditure required in connection with the rebuilding would employ a vast amount of labour and material, and would relieve the distress from which Hawke’s Bay is suffering.

A. AND P. ASSOCIATION SYMPATHISES.

At tho meeting of the committee of the Manawatu and West Coast A. and P. Association to-day motions of sympathy were passed with those bereaved and injured in the earthquake disaster, and on the motion of tiie president, Mr L. B. Wall, it was decided to convey condolences to the Mayors of Napier and Hastings and the Hawke's Bay A. and P. Association.

INSURANCE AT SHOWGROUNDS

Satisfaction was expressed by members of the committee of the Manawatu and West Coast Agricultural and Pastoral Association at its meeting to-day when advice was received from the companies holding the Association’s insurances that the buildings at the Showgrounds could be used for the housing of refugees for one month, as from February 11, without entailing any additional premium. DONATIONS. Prime Minister’s list, £95,651; Wellington Mayor’s list, £27,825 j Dominion’s list, £1902; Bed Cross fund, £3519. The earthquake relief fund in New Plymouth and the surrounding district has reached £6lßl. The Waikato Times’s earthquake relief fund totals over £SOOO. The earthquake relief funds in the Gisborne district now aggregate £5428, of which £4500 appears on tho Poverty Bay Herald list. SCOTTISH SOCIETY’S DONATION. At last evening’s meeting of tho Manawatu Scottish Society (Inc.) it was resolved to donate £lO to the relief of the sufferers from the earthquake. AUCKLAND’S HELP. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Feb. 16. The Waitemata Power Board decided to-day to donate £2OO to tho earthquake relief fund and specified that the sum be used for immediate relief. One member said the funds subscribed for tli© Murchison sufferers were held up in Wellington for three months.

The Auckland Savings Bank trustees are donating £ISOO, subject to validation.

Exclusive of the above tho Auckland city funds total £27,500.

IN NAPIER TO-DAY. HEALTH DEPARTMENT’S WORK. Per Press Association. NAPIER, Feb. 17. Last night in Napier it was fairly quiet, with an occasional shake. One of fair strength occurred about ten o’clock. To-day it is fine and sunny and the sea is calm. There is little wind. There is still no sign of an epidemic. The health Department is doing wonderful work in the inspection of premises and connecting up the sewerage, which is likely to be a lengthy business. Precautions are still being taken by boiling all water for drinking purposes. The cleaning up of all areas is pro-

ceeding apace. Already a considerable space on Hyderabad Road and Tara dale Road corner has been f il ‘ ecl £ with spoil from the devastated area which is being unloaded from lorrien. The Daily Telegraph commencecl o Saturday with a four-page sheet and is now publishing daily m tcmP° rarj quarters at the \ulcan foundry.

The necessity for the return o able-bodied men to the earthquake area was stressed by se '' era i- s I ?? a l c t ‘ Relief day’s meeting of the Wellington 1 Fund Committee, and there was a * general discussion on the difficulties o billeting. It was generally agreed that Wellington had received all the fugees it could accommodate and it was decided, if possible, to divert future refugees to other cities. The City Council acknowledges the receipt of a donation of a body of beei from Mr P. Egl inton. __