MEETING OF CITIZENS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2252, 29 April 1897, Page 20

MEETING OF CITIZENS.

A public meeting of citizens, held at the Town Hall on Friday night, to consider what steps should ba taken to alleviate the distress caused by the flootla in Hawke's Bay, wag attended by the mayor (Mr H. Gourley), the Very Rev. Dean Fitohelt, the Hone. R. Oliver, G. M 'Lean, W. M. Bolt, D. Pinkerton, and W. D. Stewart, M.L.C.'s, Or Cranby (Napier), the mayor of lloslyn (Mr L. Kemnitz), Dr Fulton, Messrs J. A. Millar, M.H.It., G. L. Denniston, W. Hutchison, J. P. Armstrong, F. W. Petro, M. Cohen, C. M. Mount, D. H. Hasting?, J. Gibson, J. Hszlett, J. Smith, jun , A. F. W. Lorie, C. H. Osmond, F. R.- Chapm&n, and W. B. Taylor (town clerk). The Mayor, who was vo'.ed to the chair, said t Gentlemen, the circumstances under which I have deemed it my duty to invite you to meet here to-night; are fresh in -the memories of us all, and it is, therefore, perhaps not necessary for me to say much. The terrible atate of affairs disclosed by the telegram from the major of Napier, which will be read here to-night, and the full text; of which has appeared in both our daily papers, has been more than verified by subsequent authentic reports, and each day's news has bub added to the evidence of dire distress and misery which at present prevails in the affected districts in Hawke's Bay. When we read that hundreds of families are homeless and practically destitute from the sweeping away of their houses, their stock, crops, fencing, and in fact all their belongings, and when we are told that this lo3s is ' estimated at from £80,000 to £100,000, one can but realise ! that this is a matter which cannot bs grappled with locally, but ia one which appeals for help to us all — man, woman, and child. No eloquence ii needed, in this matter to stir our hearts. A state of matters exiits which emphatically demands, and will assuredly have, our active sympathy and assistance. The loss of property and consequent destitution is bad enough, but what of those who, whilst fighting the ruthless flood, in their efforts to carry succour and help to those in sore I nepfi of it, nobly risked and nobly lost their livrs r These men — 12 in all — have most of them left widows and children ; how many I do not know, but mostly entirely withoub support. Shall we not, in so far as we. can, emulate these brave men and do our besb to carry help and euccour to those in grief and distress ? There can, I think, be but one answer. In doing this we are not called upon to risk our lives, but we can each help by giving from and according to our means ; and this, I feel sure, will be done. I now leave the matter in the hands of the meeting, and shall be glad to hear and place before jou any proposition that maybs made as to the detailed action to be taken. The Town Clerk read the telegrams which had bean received from the Mayor of Napi6r on the subject, and letters expressing ' sympathy with the object and enclosing contributions as followa :— Fergus? on and Mitchell, £5 ss ; Dunedin Burns Club, £5 53 ; Kempthome, Prosser, and Co , £5 5a ; Mr K. Rimsay, £5 53 ; Mr J. Allen, M.H.R., £5 st; Mr W. Souter (Flag Swamp), £5 ; Mr H. F. Hardy, £5 ss ; Mr J. h. Gillies, £1 ; the Yen. Archdeacon Robinson, £1 ; Otago Daily Times and Witness Company, £25; Dunedin City Fire Brigade, £2. The Town Clerk also read letters of apology for the absence of tho Revs. W. Hewitson and J. Gibb, Messrs A. Morrison, M.H.R., aud J. F. M. Fraser; a letter from Mr Carl Hertz, offering tho proceeds of his entertainment on tho following afternoon; and letters from the Dctnediu

Amateur Dramatic Company and the Garrison Band offering their flervices. The Mayor said the amount which had been received f o far was £65 10s, as it wan possible that subscription lists would be required Messrs Cherrie and M'lndoe had kindly forwarded a number free of charge. The Hon. W. D. Stewaiit thought the first thing the meeting should do was to express their deep sympathy with the sufferers by the flood, and especially with those who had lost relatives and friends. There had not only been a considerable private loss of property, which, no doubt, many of the sufferers were ill able to afford, but there had also been a public loss co far as the colony wss concerned. These losses were, however, comparatively I insignificant alongside the loss of life that j bad taken place, nnd the persons who were lost bad a number of others dependent upon them. He thought the meeting ehould inaugurate some movement whereby relief should be given to those who were lef b to mourn the loss of relatives, and he thought; that in Hawke'e Bay there were many men well acquainted with the local circumstances who would look after the distribution of the money, j He had no doubt' that this part of the colony would respond fairly and liberally to meet the circumstances of the case. The object, unlike the Armenian and Indian fundt, was one thab appealed directly to them as fellow colonists with those who had suffered. He moved— " That this meeting of citizens desire to express its deepest sympathy with the sufferers of the Hawke'a Bay floodc, and especially with those who have lost relatives and friends." The Hon. D. Pinkerton seconded the motion, Which was carried without discussion. Mr Cohen thought the meeting could not do better than follow tha procedure that was followed in the case of the Kaitangata and Kakanui disasters, and constitute themselves into a committee of action, with power to add to their number, and the sooner action was taken the better. He would, therefore, move that those present constitute themselre* into a committee for the purpose of raising a fund for the relief of the sufferers, and that to that end they should communicate with all the borough and county councils and o!her local bodies in the district. Mr F. B. Chapman seconded the motion, and suggested that the mayors of the suburban boroughs should, ex officio, be placed on the committee. The motion was carried with the incorporation in it of Mr Chapman's suggestion. The mayor was appointed chairman of the committee; the offer of Mr D. H. Hastings to give the use of his offices and his service?, f tee of charge, as secretary was accepted ; and Mr 6. L. Denniston was appointed treasurer. The Hon. R. Oliver thought one of the first duties of the committee should •be to obtain from Napier particulars of the extent to which help was required. It was evident that until they were able to present to thu public some definite knowledge of the magnitude of the disaster and how much it would take to deal adequately ■with it, they were hardly in a position to act. He dared say, that in the course of a few days they be furnished with that kind of information, and he had no doubt that then they -would be able to organise a canvass of the city and put themselves in correspondence with the local bodies, so as to be able to deal with this disaster in a moderately adequate manner. Mr Cohen did not think they should stop action until they got the definite information of which Mr Oliver spoke — (hear, hear) — because they had already got intimation in the telegram from the major of Napier that the disaster was a very serious one, and that had been verified since by private and public information. He thought they should m*p oub the city into districts and appoint canvassers. Mr Chapman said one matter which ought to be taken into consideration at the earliest stege was how far they were to claim to exercise a. voice in the distribution of the fund. He had 1 no doubt that at the outset the money that was collected would be required to be applied for ■ immediate relief ; but in this case, as in the I cases of the colliery accidents, one point to ! which the attention of subscribers had necesearily to be directed was the raising of a fund, more or less permanent, for the widows and children of those who had lesb their lives. He believed that the best course to adopt with regard to the declaration of trusts in favour of the widows, orphans, and dependents would be to leave that to the wisdom of the central committee in Napier. < The Hon. G. M'Lean took it that any per- ] manent fund would be applied to the families of the 12 persons who had lost their lives. He thought the committee ought to collect all they could, and trust to the committee in Hawke's | Bay to dispose of it in the best way. It was co ; good for them in Dunedia to siy tbey were going to collect and to start fighting over what was to be done. He dared say that as in all other cases there had been considerable exaggeration as to the extent of the disaster, but if only half of what the papers said was. true the flood had been of a magnitude, such as had not previously occurred in New Zealand. This was a case in which he thought they migb.% well expect sympathy and contributions from settlers outside the city as well as from the few in Duaedin who were always called on to put their hands in their pockets. Mr Chapman moved— "That the disposal of the funds collected through this committee and the distribution of gifts in kind be left to tha Central Committee in Hawke's Bay." The Hon. G. M'Lean Eeconded the motion, Which was carried. Mr F. \V. Petbb remarked that some of the money collected at the time of the Queensland flood was locally applied to the purchase of produce to assist the suffer era, and said that a course of that sort would not meet with the approval of the public in the present case. He thought the meeting should pass a resolution stating that all subscriptions, whether money or in kind, would be forwarded a» received to the Central Committee, and he would move in that direction. Mr Chapman said the first portion of Mr Pctre's motion had been already passed, and the second part seemed to him to be a. selfdenying resolution withiu the committee. Would it not be better to leave that for the consideration of the committee P Mr Pethe maintained that the general meeting could pass a resolution which would be binding on tbe committee. The Hon. W. D. Stewart said the Queensland and Hawke's Bay floods were not analogous. — (Hear.) In Queeneland tbey did not require money so much as food and clothing, but in the present case they could procure in the colony all that was required, and he took it that the local committee here would not, except they were requested by the general meeting, invest money iv flour or anything else. The Mayor said that as chairman of the committee it would be his object to gather as much money as he possibly could and forward it as he received it to the committee at Napier. — (Hear.) !The Union Company had generously offered to forward donations in kind free of charge, and the General Committee would be quite willing to receive anything from the settlers in the way of kind. He gathered from the information

that was to hand that the loss would amount to £60,000, and he thought that total should be aimed at. Mr A. Lorie said example was better than precept, and they had had a lot of precept that evening but very little example. He had never felt ashamed of Otago until that night, when out of their population only 20 persons were present. Most of what was said had been in the direction of questioning the amount of damage that had been done. He thought the besb thing those present could do was to let the general public see what they wore prepared to give. They bad been there 50 minutes, and there was not a shilling on the table. The Hon. W. D. Stewart (warmly): I object to Mr Lorie lecturing the meeting. What right has he to coma here and sit in judgooeut on anybody ? Mr Lorie: Perhaps the lecturing will do a little good. I venture to say that in Napier, if there had bsen the same trouble in Ofcago as there is in Hawke's Bay, there would have been £1000 on the table by this time, A little lecturing may do some good. Tbe Hon. W. D. Stewart: A little advertising! The Hon. W. M. Bolt thought they should not be discouraged by the size of the meeting. There was no bigger meeting at the inauguration of the Brunner fund, and yet they were successful in getting up a big fund, and he believed if they went to work in a hearty spirit they would get a good return. The Mayor eaid that since tbe meeting had commenced a subscription of £10 had been handed to the secretary from Messrs Lorie and Co. Cr Cbanlbt (Napier), to whose presence Mr Lorie direoted attention, said he had been a resident of the affected district for 23 yeara, and he could assure them tbat many of. the | Bottlers who 'hnd suffered had loht all that belonged to them. Borne of the sufferers bad been there longer than he bad, and had built little cottages, and they had lost everything they ever possessed. They required relief, and at once. On behalf of the sufferers he pleaded to the roeetiug to give as quickly as possible whatever they could give. On his way down he had stopped at Timaru and Ashburton, and all the mills had given him flour and produce. Mr Swan, the mayor of Napier, had wired him authority to collect what he could, and he had collected produce in those places ; and also, he was pleased to say, in Dunedin. The flood had been so severe that tha town of Napier was practically an island. He might mention that Mr Swan had informed him that any telegrams, if made collect, would ba franked. The meeting, after some further conversation, adjourned, it being arranged that the committees should meet on Monday afternoon at 3.30 o'clock. DUNEDIN RELIEF FUND COMMITTEE. A meeting of the Hawke's Bay Relief Fund Committee was held at the Tonn Hall on Monday and attended by thft Houa. ft. Oliver (in the chair), G. M'Lean, W. M. Bolt, and D. Pinkerton, Dean Fitchett, the Revs. B. G. Edwards, A. North, J. M. Fraser, L. J. Harriton, W. Ronaldson, F. Mayne, and W. Watt, Mefesra L. Kemnitz, W. Hutchison, T. W. Kempthorne. M. Cohen, A. Lorie, G. L. Denniston, C. Osmond, and Dr Fulton. An apology for non-attendance was received from the Rev. J. J. Lewis. Mr W. Gray, secretary of the G.P.O , Wellington, telegraphed that all mayors bad been authorised to frank letters and telegrams marked " On Business of Hawke's Bay Relief Fund." Tbe R«v. W. Curzon-Siggers wrote apologising for his absence ou account of illhealfch and forwarding a contribution of £1 to the relief fund. Mr R. H. Daniels, hoa. secretary of the Roscius Dramatic Society, wrote stating that the society were prepared at short notice to give an entertainment on behalf of tbe sufferers bytherecent disaster.—Referred to the treasu/er to aot. Mr George Fenwick wrote stafciDg that he could not set as a member of the committee, as he had not the time to perform the duties that would ba required of him. Mr J. Wilson, hon. secretary of the Kaikorai Band, wrote stating that the band intended to play in the Botanic Gardens on Sunday afternoon next in aid of the relief fund, and asking to be informed whether the committee would attend to the collection or leave it in the hands of the band. —The Sechetahy (Mr Hastings; stated that he went out to St. Clair on Sunday when the Engineers' Band played there, and collected £15 8s sd. H« would undertake to go to the gardens on Sunday next and take two others with him with the object of taking up a collection. The Chairman said the Mayor of Napier had j been written to for particulars as to the num- i ber of widows and orphans for whom provision was required, bub it appeared that information had not yet come to hand in regard to the matter. It would be necessary to jog the mayor's memory, because until they got definite information as to what money was required the committee would probably have some difficulty in getting as liberal contribu- j lions as they might otherwise get. He tkougbt j that Mr Hastings bad better communicate with ' the Mayor of Napier again on the subject. I Mr Hastings stated that he had again communicated with the mayor for information. i Mr G. L. Denniston mentioned that he had j arranged with the Bauk of New Zealand to i telegraph £100 to the Mayor of Napier, and a I telegram had been sent that morning. A sub-committee, consisting of the mayor, [ the Hon?. D. Pinkerton and It Oliver, Messrs J. B. Thomson, M. Cohen, G. L. Denniston, and T. W. Kempthorne, was appointed to divide ! the city into districts for the purpose of inakiDg a systematic canvass for subscriptions. i Mr FR. Manning wrote forwarding a cheque I for £1 1?, and expressing hi 9 sympathy with | the iufferers by the disaster. ! It was resolved that the next meeting of.the committee be held on Monday next at 4 p.m. at the office of the secretary, at the corner of High and Manse streets. The following subscriptions are hereby acknowledged by the hon. treasurer: —

We have received the following subscriptions on behalf of the Hawke's Bay Relief Fund :— A.H.. ss; R.L., 10%

Union Steam Ship Company J. Speight and Co 11. Gourley Geo. Bell Hon. Geo. M'Lesn ... „, Katherine Browning ... liveieen Mayd ... ... J. W. Jago C. C. Graham V. R. Manning C. M'K Gordon Rev. Curzon-Siggers ... Rev. J. 11. Eraser ... Johu Lees ... H. H. Driver W. H. H Previously acknowledged Total „ ...£lOO 0 0 ... 50 0 0 M . 10 10 0 ... 10 10 0 5 5 0 ... 5 0 0 ..i 110 110 .„ 110 ... 110 ... 10 0 ... 10 0 10 0 - 10 0 .. 10 0 ... 0 2 C £189 11 G ... 89 3 0 ...£278 14 6