TOTAL EVACUATION

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 32, 7 February 1931, Page 14

TOTAL EVACUATION

NOT NOW NECESSARY

It was made clear at a meeting of the general committee of the Earthquake Belief Fund yesterday that no further evacuation of Napier and Hastings is considered necessary. Mr. P, Verschaft elt, Public Service Commissioner, who returned.on Thursday from the Hawkes Bay district, said that, no official order for full evacuation had ever been given in Napier. There were not very many more desirous of leaving the place, and with comparatively few exceptions the homes of the people were intact, except that the chimneys were down and furniture was damaged through being thrown about during the shake. t Dr. M. H. Watt, head of the Health Department, said it was quite undesirable' to shift any more people from Napier and Hastings, ami, further, there was no necessity to do so. Early that morning a train had loft Napier with 105 refugees for Auckland and 30 cot ca-scs, and his information was that there was practically no one else to leave. ' Most of those who had. loft had gone- to..Palmerston North and Daiuievirko. One thing that was needed was to see that those people got sufficient money and food >to help them along. Palmerston North had a perfect organisation which saw to it that everyone was fed and clothed. The notion of sending further cars to Napier to bring people away was absurd; there was no reason for the, belief that thousands were going to pour into Wellington. The great thing was to assist the Bed Cross in handling those who had come away and to see that those who were left on the spot and who were working there were provided for.