The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1877.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 39, 14 February 1877, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1877.

The terrible disaster which has fallen upon ■ our neighbours in the Motueka district has , evoked a large amount of sympathy on this side of the Bay, a sympathy that is not likely to be confined to mere expressions of condolence, but will probably take a more practical form in the shape of a public subscription for the assistance of those who lost their all in the floods of last week, and many of whom must at present be in a state of destitution, dependent even for their daily bread npon the charity of those of their neighbors who were fortunate enough to escape the devastation which has been so general. We reported yesterday that Mr Curtis had despatched Mr Shallcrass to ascertain the actual amount of distress that requires immediate alleviation with the view of reporting to the Government, who will, no doubt, come to their assistance. His Worship the Mayor in the meantime, without knowing that Mr Curtis was taking action, had telegraphed to Mr Hursthouse as follows: — ; Nelson, Feb. 13, 1877. Richmond Hursthouse, Esq., M.H.R,, Motueka. < Can you inform me names of principal loser s by floods in your district, with rough | estimate total damage; also, whether pecu- | Diary assistance would, if tendered, probably ; be accepted? Please reply at once. ; Edward Everett, ' " Mayor. The following telegram was received from Mr Hursthouse this morning.-— ; Motueka, Feb. 14, 1877. Edward Everett, Esq., Mayor of Nelson. ; The principal losers are, as far as I know, G. Spicer, W. Limmer, Cassidy, Knowles, Sutherland, T. Evans, T. Haycock, and a number of Groobys. The damage cannot be less than £30,000. In some cases pecuniary assistance would be acceptable, I think. ', Richmond Hubsthouse. Nothing definite has yet been settled, but probably a public meeting will be called in the town to ascertain to what extent the public are prepared to come forward with , pecuniary relief. The suggestion has been i J made that the sum of money which was collected for the relief of the Taranaki settlers , in 1860 and has since been accumulating should be devoted to this purpose, but this, we believe, could not be done without a special Act of the Assembly being passed. ln a letter which appeared in our columns yesterday, Archdeacon Stock showed what steps had been taken under similar circum-

stances in Wellington, but here it would be impossible as he suggests to call a meeting of the subscribers to the fund, as by this time they are so scattered, and even "when the collection was made a large number of the donors were residents in Melbourne and Dunedin. Whatever assistance is to be given will therefore have to come from private individuals here, supplemented as it no doubt will be by the Government.