RECOVERY OF HASTINGS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17439, 10 April 1931, Page 12

RECOVERY OF HASTINGS

TOWN'S EXCELLENT SPIRIT

NEARLY BACK TO NOEMA.L FEW IXIIA BIT A NTS ABSENT I]:iitliqunko refugees who have not yot returned to Hawke’s Bay do not include many Hastings people, in the opinion of Arc. Selwyn Averill, until recently registration officer for that town, who is spending a well-earned holiday in Auckland with his parents. Archbishop and Mrs. Averill. “'Hastings is very nearly back to normal,” said Air. Averill in an interview with the Herald. “Last Monday week wo took a census of rebuilt chimneys and found that out of 2450 houses, only 350 appeared to be unoccupied. At the rate people have boon returning, 1 expect that number is down to 150 or even 100 by now.” The latest return showed that 1050 houses had been provided with one chimney each and 450 had still to be dealt with. Some of the work had been carried out by the Public Works Department and the rest by private contractors, and it was expected that the cost would be met, after all, out of the relief fund. “When I left,” lie said, .“we understood that tho central relief committee had abandoned the idea that the fund would be only sutlicient for personal relief. WASTE EXAGGERATED “When I was last in Wellington 1 gathered that the Mayer’s committee there had kept most of its £IOO,OOO fund intact, although Wellington had over 5000 refugees billeted there a* one time. For another thing, we found in Hastings that we had not spent nearly so much on supplies in the early days as people were saying. On the whole, it will not be surprising if there is some relief money for repairs to homes.” About 700 local men were working in Hastings at present under the Unemployment Board’s No. 5 scheme, continued Mr. Averill. The Ministoi of Labor, the Hon. S. O. Smith, had given this a good start with a grant of £SOOO for clearing up the town. The money had been spent at the rate of about £I3OO a week, and as a result practically all debris had been removed, leaving the way clear for rebuilding. The temporary shops erected so far were of a good type, attractive in appearance and not by any means “tin lean-tos.” In fact, it would probably be ditlicult to got the owners lo demolish them a few years hence if that were required, Detail trade in the town was now as good as or better than, before the earthquake. The hotels were doing probably twin their former business —hundreds ol men shifting bricks naturally becanu thirst v.

FOOD WORK OF THE AIEN Arrangements had been made t< widen the main street, Ileretaung:; street, by 10ft., but this could not b< done at once, because some buildings had withstood the earthquake quiti well and could not be cut back unless the owners were compensated in stum wav. So far as restoring the town was concerned, an estimate had been made, and it showed that the earliei liglire of £1,(100,(100 as the probabli cost was altogether excessive. The registration of inhabitants al'tei the earthquake had been of very great help in controlling the distribution o: relief and also in repatriating refugees One of the lost effects had been to dear the town of hundreds of men who had come there simply in search of free food. These men had been barred from registering, and, being unregistered, had been unable to get ration curds. On tho first day ot rationing, expenditure dropped men than 50 per cent. Another result had been to encourage able-bodied men to rot urn. Such men knew that whatever work was available had been secured to them in advance and they quick!v came back to take advantage of it. . Air. Averill warmly praised the spirit of the men who worked for tiu first fortnight entirely without pay arid .afterwards for relief rates ol wages. The spirit of the town till through had boon excellent and he bad not t(it* slightest doubt that it woulo more than recover the lost grouno within a very short time.