AFTER THE 'QUAKE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 326, 13 September 1932, Page 5

AFTER THE 'QUAKE

RESTORING NA.PIER MR. A. E. JULL TELLS STORY OF RECONSTRUCTED HAWKE'S BAY WHAT THE GOVT. HAS DONE The story of the rehabilitation of Hawke's Bay was graphically told to members of the Rotorua Rotary Club at its luncheon yesterday by Mr. A. E. Jull, M.P., who has been connected with the rehabilitation ever since the earthquake, Mr. Jull, in prefacing his remarlcs, iaid that it v/as a subject upon which ho had some difficulty in being brief 3mce it was of paramount importance to the people of Hawke's Bay. After February 3, 1931, a date which would be indelibly engraved in the minds of all Bay folk, natural confusion orevailed, but only for a brief per•od for it was not long before committees began to function. Soon hings were in trim, for the Government, the Red Cross and such organsations as the Salvation Army got busy and commenced to alleviate the :;errible distress caused by the 'quake. There had been a good deal of exiravagant reports re the losses, but ueveitheless the damage was real and terrible. Wonderful practical sympathy had been shown by the people of the Dominion who, in a short while '.iad raised over £200,000 for the relief of the sufferers. FuikIs CarefuIIy Administered The forms of relief took two definite channels. In the nrst place the whole of the £200,000 had been most carefully administered by comnittees in each area under the Public Trustees representations, and he was glad to be able to tell his hearers that this money had entirely been atilised to alleviate private losses. For instance, said Mr. Jull, it was lecided to allot up to £100 for a private dwelling. At first this was nade available as a loan and later tt was found that there was not suffirient houses needing this assistance so that the committee would not find it ncessary to call up that loan. There would be no claims for a refiind in ,hese cases. Business Losses Next there was the question of business losses. Legislation for which he was responsible, said the ipeaker, was brought down for the Government to advance a million and i-quarter pounds, which it had in re.serves in gilt-edged securities in Lonion, to be repaid by the imposition of a small tax upon insurance premiums :hroughout the Dominion for it was •cnsidered that such a catastrophe as 5 iad occurred was a Dominion matter and that it should be a question of lation-wide importance. However, passing through the committee stage hat clause was dropped out of the bill. The money was found and was made available. Fire Main Cause of Losses There was about forty or fifty "housand pounds worth of earthquake nsurance held said Mr. Jull, but the )ulk was not covered by insurance igainst earthquakes or the fires causi«l by earthquakes. Owing to the aestruction of the water mains the 3re in Napier did at least eightfconths of the damage more than the mathquake. Help For Unfortunates The money found by the Government said Mr. Jull was one and a-half million pounds of which one and auiarter millions was used for the re■uibilitation of private businesses, the cplacement of stocks, etc., by means of loans and the quarter million used io assist public bodies. It was also unfortunate that persons who at 10 a m. were in affluent circumstances, ro 11 o'clock were ruined and for many of these there was no provision. However, the Government very .visely gave the committee extraordinary powers and the committee had used these wisely and well. Some Ixiteresting Figures Mr. Jull then dealt with the figures of the rehabilatation giving them as follows: — Napier Work completed, £573,533; work in hand, £184,122; total, £757,655. This includes, public buildings and churches, £110,568; hotels, £101,797; wool stores, £60,000; theatres, £12,757; business and shopping, £472,523. ' . In addition municipal services are astimated to require £165,000, of which £120,000 has been expended. Further buildings contemplated of value of £120,000. Hastings Buildings completed, £229,978; in course of erection, £33,346; horough construetion of services, ineluding municipal theatre, £28,000. Harbour Board: — Estimated damage, £240,000; all loan received, £30,500. Country Districts : — Probably, £150,000. One Bright Spot •One bright spot, remarked Mr. Jull, was that the earthquake had raised the Harbour Board endowment, which was formerly sea, seven feet and in course of time this would become farming land, but it would take at least ten years to get it into shape. In eonclusion, Mr. Jull hoped that when the time came for these loans to be repaid the people of the Dominion would, view the matter from the national standpoint.