THE EARTHQUAKE

Hokitika Guardian, 22 July 1929, Page 6

THE EARTHQUAKE

r RELIEF MONEY, v; WESTPORT :DISSATISFIED. i,By Telegraph—Press Association). WESTPORT, July 21. . Rough estimates of the private property damage in Westport and ;Bome of .the surrounding districts,, excluding the Lyell inangahua June- . tion-j' Duller -Gorge, - • •Fairdown and Sergeant’s Hill, is £82,000. Yet the only payments made in this district, including those to Seddonville are under £IOOO. In the face of this, the Central Committee put their money into a general fund, so that it may be put out at interest. Application forms are being forwarded by the Central Committee for the people to fill in. They regard these forms as placing the whole position of relief on a charity basis, 1 and not one of restoration, as , intended by . the generous donors of funds. ' ’

'■ . NO SHOALING. ' ON KARAMEA COAST. ; }j 4, “ TOTA NEK APS”' SURVEY. : ' V E. WELLINGTON, July 20. Haying completed a close survey cf the west coast of the South Island between Mokihinui and Karamea Rivers ,thc Government lightliouse steamer ‘iTutanekai’ ’. returned to Wellington to-day. j Captain Bollons states that soundings were taken over an area from the Mokiiriuui River entrance to: ihe Little Wanganui River, to ascertain whether any shoaling off the coast has' been caused by the earthquakes. The vessel worked inshore to five fathoms, a-quarter of a mile off the beach; and out to nine and ten fathoms,; one mile off the shore. The mud-sand bottom was found to shoal regularly op each tack inshore. No shoaling or any other change was perceptible; although' there was sufficient sea iand broken water to show any -.shoal of four fathoms and under. AVhen abreast of Whitecliffs, where an upthrust and escarpment were plainly visible for three-quarters of a mile, about one hundred, yards inshore from the high water mark, careful soundings were made, but no shoaling whatever was found. The ship’s anchor was hanging to a depth of from five to seven fathoms from the 1 little. Wanganui River to the Karamea entrance.

Soundings were also obtained filer passing Karamea on the 17th of July. The captain kept the ship close along the shore, and closely examined the beaches, hills, cliffs, and the shore line generally. The weather was perfectly clear, and with the aid' of good glasses, all the coast line features were distinctly visible. Beyond a lew small slips, some of which were ihe usual winter rain and frost dislodgements, very little indication of the earthquake fault was to be seen. There Was no shoaling or any discoloured water to indicate shoals to be seen from the time of leaving Westport until the Tutanekai was abreast of Karamea. The sea water was of a uniform light muddy colour and I t orn Karamea to Westhaven, the surface of the water was peaty brown. HON. ATMORE ON MR. LYONS. AUCKLAND!, July 21. . The Minister of Education, Hon 11. Atrnore, who is a member of the Earthquake Relief Committee, sa-'d to-day that a statement made bv M. E. Lyons, of Christchurch, that '‘the system of distributing money hv committee was the quintessence of circumlocution,” was ill-timed. An officer of the Treasury Department, said Mr Lyons had been sent fiom Wellington, and was now travelling through the affected district, c-arfving out an investigation prior to ihe relief measures on a large scale being undertaken. In view of the fact that the Relief Committee had not yet entered upon the major vart of the task with which it was entrusted, it was somewhat early for strong ciiticism of its methods to he made.