LAST WEEK’S DAMAGE

Hokitika Guardian, 13 May 1931, Page 7

LAST WEEK’S DAMAGE

GISBORNE, May 12. During the past four or five days, the :Vla\o.', Mr D, W. Coleman, has received large numbers of messages from various parts of New Zealand expressing sympathy with, Gisborne in the earthquakes of last week, and asking if assistance is needed. In an interview to-day with a “Times” reporter, Air Coleman said that it appeared that misleading or erroneous reports were abroad in respect to the quake. “For general information,” said Mr Coleman, “I desire to state publicly that Gisborne escaped lightly. In the first case, there has been no loss of life, nor has anyone been injured in the slightest degree. Reports from semi-official sources are to effect that the quakes on Thursday last were not nearly so severe as the one on February 3rd. More shop windows were broken on this occasion, however. Tue remaining portion of the parapet in the bn 'oSs area came down, and smashed the verandahs of four shops. Two or three walls were damaged, hut in every case, so far as can be gathered, they had been loosened b.v the previous quake. Cracks near the corner of the outside back wall of the Regent Theatre, which were caused by the previous quake, opened up a little more, and it was decided that, instead -of patching up work, it would he better —very largely to reassure the public—to have the damaged corner practically rebuilt. So far as the general public were concerned, he said, fewer chimneys came down last week than during the February upheaval. Taken all through, Gisborne came through the ordeal well, and there is not the slightest need for anxiety by friends and relatives living in other parts of the Dominion.