NAPIER’S ENORMOUS LOSS

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1931, Page 7

NAPIER’S ENORMOUS LOSS

ENGINEER GIVES ESTIMATE

£280,000 TO RESTORE SERVICES,

CURRENT EXTRA COST £2OO WEEK. ’ l/IC-L . . ""

By Telegraph.—Press Association.

Napier, Feb. 25. Finance amounting to approximately £280,000 will be required to carry on the municipal activities of Napier and restore tne conditions as they existed before the earthquake. The sum of £170,000 was mentioned by the Mayor, Mr. Vigor Brown, when speaking at a meeting of the Borough Council, as the loss which the council had suffered as a body. An estimate of £161,000 was made by Mr. J. 8. Langford Deem, engineer to the Wanganui City Council, who has been appointed consulting drainage engineer to the Napier Borough Council, as being the sum necessary to restore all the municipal services in operation in Napier before the earthquake. This sum provides for 10 per cent, allowed for Government raising and administering. It is also considered that to continue the ordinary operations and activities of the council, quite apart from restoration, the sum of £120,000 would be needed, bringing the total amount required to £280,000. The current extraordinary expenses are calculated to involve £2OO a week.’ Application was to have been made to the Government for financial assistance, but this was deferr. 1, owing to the receipt of a teleoram from the Premier stating that the Public Works Department would undertake part of the reconditioning work in private homes.

HUGE DAMAGE SUSTAINED.

NATIONAL LOAN PROPOSED.

Wellington, Feb. 25. “If the people of New Zealand are five times as generous as they have ever been in regard. to donations, such, a sum will only help to deal with the personal losses and other expenditure entailed in the welfare of the thousands of people who are now homeless and workless m Hawke’s Bay,” stated Mr. A. E. Jull, M.P. for Waipawa, who, has forwarded to the Prime Minister for the consideration of the Government details of a scheme for meeting the losses entailed by the earthquake. Mr. Jull compares the catastrophe./ to a war, and suggests that its methods of relief be treated similarly. He therefore proposes to raise a national loan in London, the interest and sinking fund in connection therewith to be made a charge either on a percentage or flat rate basis on all future insurance premiums, both fire and accident, throughout the Dominion, , the insurance companies to act as receivers for such pre-, miums, which will be handed to the Government in much the same way as third party risks on motor owners are now received. Mr. Jull’s scheme was discussed by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, but it was decided to defer a decision until Parliament had had an opportunity of going into the’- question.

ECONOMIES ESSENTIAL.

EARTHQUAKE: :RELIEI! FUNDS.

Wellington, Last Night. At the conclusion of several meetings of the sub-committee of the central executive set up to administer earthquake relief funds the Prime Minister, the. Rt, Hon. G. W. Forbes, stated this evening that in view of the limited amount of the funds and the numerous and heavy claims against them he had drawn uhe. attention of local committees to. the great necessity for economy- in the purchase of stores and the granting of ie-. lief generally. ' . . ~ Major-General Young is investigating the use of the camps at Palmerston North with a view to seeing how longer they need be used and to affect ing economies. General Young has also been authorised to arrange a more equitable distribution of refugees and to direct their removal to other towns. Payments for travel are nbw to be limited to persons returning direct m their homes or moving under the direction of General Young.

BUSH FIRE RELIEF FUND.

EARTHQUAKE RELIEF TO BENEFIT.

Wanganui, Last Night. What remains of the 1918 bush fire relief fund is to be devoted to earthquake relief work. This decision was reached by a meeting of subscribers to the fund la jt 6 was explained that the fund had been left with a sum of £323 that had been let out at d eposit and had grown to £435 13s. The sum of £300• is to be given to the national fund and, after expenses are paid, the remainder is to go to the local fund. NAPIER TECHNICAL COLLEGE. TRANSFER OF TEACHING STAFF. Wellington, Feb. 25. . The following teachers from Napier Technical College have been transferred to other colleges in various parts of the Dnminion—C. H. E. Strack, 8.A., to Dunedin; C. C. Geddes, M.Sc., to Christchurch; J. B. Brown, to al ™ North; J. Wj Olphert, M.A., to Wanganui; Miss E. M. Bampton, 8.A., to Westport; Miss A. Rockstrow, B.'Sc., Hutt; Miss E. Taylor, M.A., to Wellington.