"LITTLE NAPIER"

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 33, 9 February 1931, Page 10

"LITTLE NAPIER"

REFUGEES AT WOBURN

Sonic two years ago railway men employed at Napier were transferred to the new workshops at Woburn, together with-tlieir, wives and 'children, and two long roads "at Woburn arc occupied al-! most-solely by workers from Napier,! Otane, Wanganui, etc. To these former residents of the stricken area have come, fathers and mothers, brothers aud sisters, relations-in-Jaw, aud friends. Messages . and telegrams , were sent ,to the folk in Napier to come and occupy the/room to spare, and this lias been gladly accepted. . . The; first batch or two were taken to Wellington for registration, but some of the refugees were too upset to be taken again into a town. The difficulty was overcome by Major Abel, who was in charge of Thorudon sheds, issuing refugee destination cards to the secretary of the Lower Hutt branch of the Red Cross Society, who is registering those able to come at tho society's office in Feist's Buildings, and visiting personally every home to which refugees in the district are arriving. In this way about sixty refugees who may possibly have been lost sight of for purposes of statistics have been placed on record and their immediate wants ascertained. ' As soon as the need for blankets was made known, supplies were given for the refugees in the "Little Napier" of Lower Hutt by Messrs. B. Y. Shearer and Co. and Sir Alex. Boberts. . Oiie home has eleven refugees, but nothing will induce the girls of the party to sleep in the houso; they take their beds to the verandah. All speak of the wonderful kindness shown them by every organisation ou the journey down, and by private individuals everywhere. Clothes and blankets were given out yesterday to urgent cases by Mrs. Joyce and Mr. Soward at the Bed Cross offices until after midnight. The members now known to be in the Hutt, most of them in Woburn, are 91, and more are expected to-night and to-morrow. A volunteer committee has been set up, and has given great service, under tho organising secretary for the district, Mrs. Joyce. Messrs. J. J. Burko, Mr. Frank Thomas, Mr, Townscncl, Mr. George Blake, and Mr. Day have offered the services of their cars or bicycles. Mesdamcs Musseu (2), Burnley, aud Thompson helped distribute in relays, and Mr. K. Soward helped with registration and transport, etc.. A squad of helpers from Wellington has been seeing to the immediate food requirements in the district, to enable them to carry on until further arrangements have been made.