Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

THE EARTHQUAKE AT WESTPORT

To the Editor “N.Z. Times.” Sir, —Surely the late earthquake at Westport should be a warning to the Government to erect no more Parliamentary Buildings in Wellington. ..In my opinion it is simply flying in the face of Providence, which tells us plainly and surely that great seismic disturbance always happens near the sea. In a seaport, liable to earth shock, the visitations can be reckoned upon as certain. Westport had a valuable Government building cracked and (1 expect) ruined on Saturday. It is not so long since our own post office in Wellington was badly damaged. Next week a similar shock to that of Westport may shake Wellington. When we know that this is most probable, why continue the folly ot keeping our most valuable public records in so insecure a town. For it is not the eartbshake so much that does the damage as the fire sweeping through the ruins that always accompanies any great seismic disturbance (I instance Messina, San Francisco, Valparaiso, Kingston, and Mont Pefee as late examples;. The damage inland is never so great from earth movement as near the sea, which is my reason for urging the erection of Parliament Buildings on the Moroa Plain (Wairarapa), within an easy hour’s express distance from Wellington, directly the Wainui deviation is made. The contract is not yet out for the buildings. 1 strongly urge Wellington citizens, for their own good, to' have the political capital of the Dominion forty miles inland. The congestion of traffic in the city will be so great directly that life will be constantly sacrificed (I estimate the toll at one life a week, or fifty-two lives in the year at least). Surely Wellington people should be broadminded enough (seeing what has just happened at Westport) to sacrifice any present temporary advantage for tho future safety of the public records of the Dominion. In a great conflagration open spaces do not prevent the flames making a prey- of a whole region. Wo have been fortunate so far and preserved onr public records. But Vulcan keeps knocking at our door, and wo take no notice. Some

day hxj. will give us no warning, and Wellington will find itself a blackened 'ruin. —I am, otc., COLEMAN PHILLIES. Friesland Lodge, Carterton, February 24th.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM19130226.2.96.2

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8364, 26 February 1913, Page 10

Word count
Tapeke kupu
382

THE EARTHQUAKE AT WESTPORT New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8364, 26 February 1913, Page 10

THE EARTHQUAKE AT WESTPORT New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8364, 26 February 1913, Page 10

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert