URGENT NEED FOR FOOD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 33

URGENT NEED FOR FOOD.

'A RELIEF FUND TO "BE STARTED. His Worship the Mayor (Mr J. Braithfctite) Jias received the following cablegram from Vancouver, B.C. : — " San Francisco is in most urgent need for food supplies. Vancouver, British Columbia, is the nearest British port. If contributing, wire teontributinn to Vancouver Relief Committee, wWeh will gladly arrange expenditure in food supplies and transportation to S3an t Francisco. — Alexander Bethune, Acting •Mayor; R. P. MacLennan, President Board of Trade." A Sydney cable states that the Lord iMayor of Sydney has received a cable in terms similar to that received bj the Mayor 'of Duuedis*

1 NEW ZEALANDERS IN CALIFORNIA. Mrs W. H. Reynolds has wired to Mr E. C. Reynolds stating that she is at St. Barbara "all well." Mrs Reynolds left San Francisco on the 26th March, and her many friends in '• Dunedin and elsewhere will be pleased to learn of her safety. The Mr Roberts, referred to in our paragraph giving the names of New Zealanders who are resident in San Francisco, of the Bank of New Zealand in this city, but his son, Mr W. M. Roberts, cashier of the Berkeley National Bank. Among the residents of Napa, where a heavy mortality is reported to have occurred through the earthquakes, are Mr and Mrs G. Alpen and their family. Mrs Alpen (nee Muir) is a native of Dunedin, and a granddaughter of the late Mrs Amelia Muir, of Dowling street. I Mr Robert Williamson, who was in the employ of the Otago Daily Times for a number of years, joining the staff as a boy about 1863, and being sub-editor about 1 three years previous to 1879, has been in San Francisco for a number of years. In his last letter to his brother, Mr W. J. \ Williamson, of York place, he stated he was engaged for some months past editing a directory for a company. He lives with his married sister and her family in Sunset district, about five or six miles out of the city, close to Golden Gate Park. Ten years ago Sunset District was a mass of low sandhills, east of San Francisco, but -the great building boom which set in for the past eight years, has turned the place into a thickly-populated district, electric trams carrying the people to and from the city. Fortunes were made in a very short time -by the owners of <his land by sellinpr it at high prices for residential sites. And a lucky thing it has turned out for these residents, for previous to this most of them were living in the tenement houses of the city which suffered so severely by the earthquake. Mr Fred Rivenhall. who was a popular comedian on the Fuller circuit for some time in New Zpaland. left Auckland by the Sonoma, which arrived in San Francisco just bpfore th« earthquake occurred. It wa9 Mr Rivenhall's intention to seek an pngagpnipnt in the music halls of San Francisco, Mr George Wauchope, son of Mr H. E. Wauchope, of Wellington, resided in San Francisco. Three sisters of Mr J. -7. Booth, of Otaki (Mesdames Millar, Watktns, and Elliott), all of whom* are well known in this district (says ih*> Otaki Mail), are residents of San Francisco. Mr " Jack " Maginnity. a nativo of Wellington, eldest son of the late Mr John Majrinnity, was a resident of San Franci«fo. Mr Walter G. Smith, who received his /»»rlv training in the Evening Post office (Wellington) was engaged in tho San Frapcisco Chronicle offioe. Mr Sjr>itb tvas sent from Melbourne to art. as the American cor respondent of 'the Melbourne Age. AN AUCKLAND RELTJSF FUND. AUCKLAND, April 2L The Mayor has opened a re'.ief fund, and has called a. public meeting for Monday next to consider what stens should be taken. THIS SONOMA. A cablegram has been received in Nel«on by the family of an employee on the Sonoma that the vessel is safe. Great anxiety is felt in NeUon regarding the fate of Mr Hounsell, assistant mail agent, and ; some other former Nelsonians now resident : in San Francisco. While no definite information has been received by the local agents (Messrs Neill and Co.) a3 to the movements of tho Sonoma, it may be added that it is not usual to communicate to them the arrival of the Oceanic Co.'s steamers at San Francisco. As to the mails which the Sonoma was to bring to the colony, it is probable that owing to the interruption of railway traffic and the ireneral dislocation ', of busines the Sonoma will be several days behind schedule time. ;