URGENT RELIEF FOR EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6946, 27 June 1929, Page 7

URGENT RELIEF FOR EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

West Coast Still Inquiet

Buildings of Concrete and Wood in Future

Now is the Time to Get on With Reconstruction

SAYS LEADER OF OPPOSITION. Per Press Association. NELSON, Last Night. On being soon by a Mail reporter on arrival by Arabura from Westport this afternoon, Hon. J. G. Coates, who Las been inspecting tlje earthquake damage, said the people of Westport appeared very much shaken after their experience. A relief committee had been organised and matters were generally getting back to moro normal conditions.

On being asked if he would like to express an opinion as to the suggestion that the relief funds should Ire collected by a central executive, Mr Coates said he would not like to offer an opinion at this stage, as details were so meagre. There were so many factors to bo taken into consideration and a formula would have to be worked out which would be fair to all parties concerned and to the sufferers both in the towns and in the country districts. However he did not doubt that a scheme would bo worked out. Mr. Coates expressed the opinion that now was the time to start reconstruction work. In the meantime, he advocated “business as usual.." Brick Buildings Must Go in Earthquake Area SAYS MB. H. E. HOLLAND. SINGLE STOREYS SHOULD BE INSISTED UPON. : , NELSON, Last Night. Mr. H. E. Holland, leader of the Labour Party, arrived at Nelson from Westport to-day, accompanied by Airs. Holland Miss A. L. Holland, his private secretary, and was met by the Hon. W. W. Snodgrass, M.L.C. First of all Mr. Holland interviewed Mr. Bogers, manager of tho Anchor Line, concerning the possibility of continuing a passenger and cargo service to Westport, Ho next called at the Town hall and later viewed the various structures in Main street damaged by the recent earthquake shock and was also taken over Nelson college. Mr. Holland was struck by the fact that as at Westport, a great deal of the damage done to certain buildings j was accentuated by the heavy ornamentations with which the edifices were over-weighted. In referring to the position at Westport and in the Buller district generally, Mr. Holland said that a remarkable amount of cleaning up had been done. Every endeavour was being made to restore at least one fireplace in'each home. Quite 95 per cent, of the chimneys’in Westport and the mining towns had fallen. The chimneys that stood were in the main concrete.

One fact established by the earthquake was that tho brick building must go and that wood and reinforced concrete must constitute the building material of the future. Furthermore, in earthquake areas, one storey buildings should bo insisted upon.

Ho was of opinion that New Zealand would make a rapid recovery from the effects of tho disaster. Indeed, the people of all localities affected were already demonstrating their capacity to overcome the widespread misfortune.

Some Westport Classes To Recommence Monday

HEAVY ’QUAKES YESTERDAY.

WATER MAINS WILL NEED TO BE COMPLETELY RELAID,

WESTPORT, Last Night. Messrs Thornton (secretary) and Leaner (architect) have just completed a tour of the schools in this district and have noted, for report to the department, work required at different schools and residences, giving instructions for the work to be put in hand without delay. They have also made arrangements for the temporary accommodation of school classes in Westport, some in portions of the school and others in other buildings. Some of the classes will assemble on Monday but others will not recommence for another week. Some further heavy ’quakes, have been experienced to-day but with apparently no additional damage. Tho Borough council held a specia. meeting to-night to consider the question of repairs to the water mains. The engineer, Mr. Swinburn, reported that the 14 inch main would not be available until pipes to lay over a considerable distance were procured, as tho pipes had been drawn apart and made quite unfit for further service. It was decided to wire for the new pipes required for the earliest delivery possible. Westport has been subjected to another aerial bombardment to-day from an electrical storm, with a heavy downpour of rain.

Several Violent Shocks In Greymoutk Last Night MANY APPLICANTS FOB BELIEF. TOWN HALL TOWER TO BE DISMANTLED. GREYMOUTH, Last Night. A sharp earthquake, causing a renewed alarm, occurred at 10.39 p.m. several shocks being felt. The relief committee to-night received about 160 applications for relief. There being only about £SOO of local funds available, the committee ■limiting the grant to about £5 each for certain necessitous cases, where widows and families lack bread-win-ners. Country eases were referred to sub-committees. In cases of government mortgage houses, it was decided to ask the government to capitalise the damage, enabling it to be paid off in the same way as the mortgages. The majority of the applications came from Blackball. The Town hall tower has to be pulled down and the walls at either end of the structure strengthened, according to the decision of an architect who to-day made an inspection.

“The Bottomless Pit” PECULIAR FORMATIONS IN TAKAKA DISTRICT. P.N. RESIDENT TALKS OF AFFLICTED REGION. A secluded region difficult of access but possessing a fascinating field of exploration for tho tourist, was tho pic ture painted of the Takaka district by a Palmerston North resident yesterday. This gentleman recently spent a holiday on tho West Coast, when he visited part of the country which has since been so severely afflicted with the South Island earthquake. He stated that ho was not altogether surprised at the upheaval, for throughout tho West Coast there were many signs of subterranean malformations in the earth’s crust.

In the Takaka district.alono was to be found interesting evidence of local peculiarities in the strata. Ho had visited one farm where in a cave in the hillside was a pit, the depth of which had never yet been fathomed. This yawning vent was fully 10 yards in diameter and descended straight down for an immeasurable distance. Stones dropped over the edge could bo heard ricochetting from projections as they fell but appeared to find no resting place in their descent into the gulf. Local residents had endeavoured to ascertain the depth of this pit by means of ropes but all efforts to reach “rock bottom" had so-far been unsuccessful Another local curiosity in the neighbourhood of Takaka was a deep spring which welled from the earth with such force that metal- plates and coins thrown into the- centre - did not sink, but were carried to-the-bank. Tho whole of the West Coast district was of peculiar -formation and practically every known mineral had been discovered in its fastnesses. Iron ore was being worked •at Onekaka, while slieelitc was also- to be found in profitable quantities. In the ranges, splendid samples of asbestos had been prospected and were being exploited as a commercial proposition. The trip from Nelson to Takaka by coach was a roost interesting experience in which the traveller encountered various types of country. Crossing the Moutere hills, a lovely view of the bay beneath was obtained as the coach passed through verdant orchards and stretches of afforestation plantations where the wood for thousands of apple boxes used in Nelson was grown. After crossing tho MoUtcrc, tho road led into tho hopgrowing district of Ruawbaka, where a valuable tobacco growing in dustry was now in the process of development. Leaving Ruawbaka, the Takaka hill w as reached, the road passing over the summit 2000 feet above sea level. This Takaka hill was practically a mountain of marble and on its ridges, great boulders of the stono were to bo seen. It was from tho : Takaka marble that tho new wing of Parliament House had been constructed. Here also was to be found another peculiar subterranean formation in a river, which passed into tho face of a hill and travelled underground for a great distance before emerging. This stream was fully as largo as the Tiritea.

The Takaka valley itself was a remarkably fertile district, but owing to its inaccessibility was very little known. In that vicinity were situated the Tarakohe cliffs, whero tho famous Golden Bay cement works were established. It was at this spot that a huge landslide overwhelmed tho office of the cement company and buried tho third engineer beneath thousands of tons of limestone. Tho Takaka power house also crashed and a succession of shakes was experienced which wrought untold damage in the district.