ONE YEAR AFTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21098, 4 February 1932, Page 11

ONE YEAR AFTER.

T 0l;Ii OF EARTHQUAKE.

H AWKE'S BAY RESTORATION.

rEM arkable achievements. POSITION OF THE TOWNS. No. 11. _,, au! e the building of shops, tempo.--nd permanent, has covered up most Tthe earthquake scars in Hastings, while t main area of devastation in Napier is !, a waste, with debris remaining on *«jtes there is an idea abroad that ■ - 'j s wrong with Napier and that comet l3in » ' * n . .. hirte fair to become the main HaStl 0 ng o { Hawke's Ray. The position of T 6 two towns is, however, hardly comP3 Naptr ™ swept, by fire after the ' thquake and most businesses lost stocks ea \vell as premises, which often meant that the owners were left- with nothing Tut mortgages and liabilities. Hastings vas fortunate in escaping extensive fire damage, and in consequence most of her retailers were able to reopen business with stocks Their effort was remarkably jome slot*- / ompt> The clearing of the debris was parted almost immediately, and by an /e4r lj. decision to permit temporary premises to be erected on the old sites there was n0 diversion of traffic from the ordin■flry trade channels, and this has helped greatly to give the appearance of normality to the town and the atmosphere of vigour. Community Blocks.

The best that could be done in Napier onder the more severe circumstances was tbe building of the community blocks of shops in Give Square and, with the community bank building in close proximity, traffic'and trade were concentrated in that area, from which some mirthroom growth of small shops/'has extended along the /fringes. Shopping activity is concentrated on this locality and the devastated area thus seems doubly depressing, and the passing traveller believes that Napier is

lagging. But fi'om information gathered in many quarters one feels confident that the factors that have gone to the making and growth of the two towns will not be ■ seriously disturbed, and that the balance will remain about the same. Hastings is surrounded by a fertile plain that is fairly closely occupied. There is a large fruit industry near at hand, and great meat works employing many men in the season, snd there seems no reason for doubting that her development will proceed under the original influences. It is a fact that

the rise of Hastings has been rapid and

that- her rate of expansion during recent, years has been much faster than that of

Napier. It seems probable that the faster nomentum of the town will continue.

Napier's Future.

But'this does not imply any doubt as

to the future of Napier. The new Napier /will be superior to Hastings, architecturally, for temporary buildings are not in existence to linger into a fairly lengthy see as is bound to be the case in Hastings, notwithstanding present-time limitations, and all the factors which were behind Napier before the earthquake will continue to be her guarantee. The port has suffered, notably in reduction

o{ depth in the inner harbour. "'but the Glasgow Wharf berthage behind the Breakwater functions just as well for the vessels that formerly userl it and the working of liners by lighters in the roadstead has suffered no handicap. Generally speaking, the port is the same utility that it was and this year it has bandied a record amount of cargo All the industrial concerns of Napier

are in full swing, very little interruption having taken place. With the restoration of shops and offices in the devastated zone there would appear to be little to prevent Napier from holding her own. /

Increased Population. Napier, like Hastings, has a larger population to-day than at the time of the earthquake, and even if some of the increased population may represent construction workers who may drift away again, there is a very strong argument in favour of the town in the fact that there are no vacant habitable houses &Dd that houses are being sought. One observed a notice offering houses at Auckland, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, and even 33 far away as Inver-cargill, in exchange for ones in Napier. It wcjuld appear that some of the new arrivals in Napier have decided to stay. Xapier previously enjoyed a lucrative tourist traffic, and the suggestion is sometimes made that it will take a long time for people to acquire sufficient confidence in the stability of the town to " risk »' visit. But thai Is surmise, which is not always supported by the experiences of other/ places or bv human experience Elderly residents of Napier who left never to "return are now coming back. Mankind is not long disturbed by the shocks 'of- Nature, and one would hazard the opinion that the tourist trade will not be lost, particularly in view of the fine type of hotel that is to provide Accommodation in this land of sunshine. Municipal Finance. The financial position of the municipality is not. as bad as most people probably ifiagine. The public debt is in the vicinity of £750,000, and the total rate leviod in 1950 was £-3 37 per head the population. Assuming that fte restoration of sewage, water and ®ther services adds £200.000 to that debt "id that the cost of it, is 6 per cent., 'he rate per head will be £4.12, fthout allowing for the increase in population that is expected to be permanent. Bach a rate is by no means unusual. According to .official figures f r, r 1931 the Auckland levy per head •• as £5.57. with Wellington £4,63 »nd Hamilton £4.41. Other figures were: New Plymouth £3.95, * a ßganui £3.01, and Palmerston North *3.72.

rating is low. The rate per j .in 1931 was only £3.33 and the Edition to the /town's debt, through the js not heavy. Although one of the land ro>e and another sank, J«fog a maximum tilt of about. 12ft.. and water mains were not -Token or rendered inefficient.