MOTUEKA BELIEF COMMITTEE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 51, 28 February 1877, Page 2

MOTUEKA BELIEF COMMITTEE

A meeting was held last night, when the following reports were received:— From Messrs Hursthouse, Parker, and Buchholz, who estimate the damage in the Motueka sub-district at £5165, exclusive of £4000 loss by washing away of roads, &c. Thirty settlers have suffered severely, the loss sustained by some of them amounting to £500. The majority, however, do not require assistance, but in some cases loans to help them in shifting or rebuilding their houses would be acceptable. Benjamin Parkes and Mrs Davidson are mentioned as requiring immediate relief. The damages at Riwaka are estimated at £6340, and the following are stated to be in need of immediate assistance:— Geo. Burrow, Thomas Croucher, and John Duncan. To William White, James Mickel, and Joseph Duncan; junior, small loans would be acceptable. The loss in Ngatimoti and Dovedale is set down at £8000, affecting about 50 settlers. Three only, however, are recommended for relief by the Committee (Messrs Burrell, Dencker, and White). These are Hall, a married man with seven children, whose loss is estimated at £400 in land and crops; William Eves, also married and having seven children— loss estimated ac £30i>; Thomas Haycock, married and having five children — loss, £360 in house, implements, and stock. Messrs Tarrant, Jennings, and Grooby re port sixteen settlers in Pangatotara to be losers to the extent of £2650, which, however, does not by any means represent the total loss of the settlers in that district. Several cases are recommended for the consideration of the Committee, but those who suffered most severely are D. Sutherland, who lost his land, house, outbuildings, stock, ' hay, trap and harness, &c, and Joseph Knowles, a married man with ten children, whose land is destroyed, and his crops and stock gone. Proposed by Mr Oliver, and seconded by Mr Richmond: — " That Mr Tarrant, the Surveyor of the Motueka Road Board District, has carefully estimated the damage by the floods to the I roads in the Motueka District at £4000, and J seeing that the Road Board has not more than £400 in hand, this Committee respectfully recommends the General Government to make a grant towards the reinstatement of the roads and public works in the district that have been destroyed." This wa. put and carried unanimously. Proposed by the Bishop of Nelson, and seconded by Mr Burn: — j " That after hearing the report from the Motueka Sub-Committee, and the statements of the two members of that Committee now present (Messrs Macmahon and Dencker), this Committee is of opinion that while it is impossible to raise a sufficient sum to reinstate the sufferers from the floods, au effort should be made to raise immediately a sum of not less than £700, from which grants in money or kind may be made to those sufferers whose losses in the opinion of the Commiitee are such as to require assistance, and that the report of the Motueka Sub-Committee with the names of the sufferers appended to it, be aken as a basis for determining the amount of assistance to be given. On the motion of Father Mahoney, seconded by Mr Oliver, a vote of thanks was passed to Messrs Macmahon and Dencker, and the other members of the Visiting Committee. Mr Macmahon returned thanks for himself, and in the name of the inhabitants of Motueka jor the kindly interest and liberality displayed by the people of Nelson. The Committee then adjourned until Monday evening at half-past seven. =___ T