CLEANING UP NAPIER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20867, 8 May 1931, Page 12

CLEANING UP NAPIER.

STEADY PROGRESS MADE. CHILDREN AND THE SCHOOLS. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] NAPIER, Thursday. Steady progress is being marie in Napier with tlie work of demolishing ruined ings and clearing awav debris. Quite a' number of areas of considerable extent are bare of anything but a few bricks and pieces of iron. Contractors are filling up holes in the ground and bringing sections up to the level of streets. The latest section to be cleared is that of the Bank of New South Wales in Hastings Street. Shortly the caterpillar grab, which recently cleared Bryant's section at the corner of Hastings and Tennyson Streets, will be used on the lengthv block from the Emerson and Hastings Streets corner to Convoy and Higgins' shop, almost opposite the new post office. The Australian Mutual Provident Mock opposite the old post office site is at present in process of being cleared. In Emerson Street the sites of Allen and Harris' and two smaller shops on either side have been cleared and a section n short distance away on the corner of j Daltor. and Emerson Streets also has been dealt with. Quite an open space has been made in Dickens Street right through to Emerson Street. There arc many buildings in the town which do not require to be demolished and can be put into use again. For some tirno past workmen have been engaged on these, clearing away broken glass, charred timber, iron, pipes and other materials left in the. wake of the fire. Several premises have been attended to in this connection and their cleaning up has had an appreciable freshening effect upon the appearance of the town. The attendance of children at various schools in Napier has increased. Ihe iium- j ber now is just over .1700, as against I about 2100 who were enrolled prior to the | earthquake. A considerable number of ; young children however have not been j sent back to school by their parents, who j are still fearful for their safety because j of the continuance of tremors. A few of | the older children have found employ- | rnent in order to assist their parents and I their return to school has not been insisted upon by the education authorities. Many former residents of the town have accepted positions in oilier centres, but. their places have been taken to a very j large extent by strangers, the majority ■ of whom are of the working class. The remains found in Mestall s build { ing some time ago have definitely been established as those of Miss .Joyce ! Elizabeth Tavlor, aged 17. an assistant J on the staff of the drapery store.