N. Z. EARTHQUAKES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 335, 23 September 1932, Page 3

N. Z. EARTHQUAKES

INESTIMABLE HARM BEING DONE BY ERRONEOUS REPORTS IMPRESSIONS IN AUSTRALIA "Something ought to be done about correcting the prevalent impression in Australia that New Zeialand is a land of constant earthquakes. People think that every New Zealand cablegram about an earthqualce has been censored here and the. facts about the number of people killed hidden. The Australian Press is always terming us the Shivery Isles, the Ricketty Isles, or the Shakey Isles. I don't think that cablegrams about 'quakes felt in New Zealand and as the result of disturbances thousands of miles away should be sent out, or else the reason for the tremors should be explained." Those were some of the remarks made by Mr. S. G. Holland, manager of the New Zealand hockey team that toured Australia, on his return to Christchurch recently. Mr. Holland claimed that inestimable harm was being done to New Zealand hy the reports. As an illustration of his point, Mr. Holland showed a reporter a clipping from the "Crookwell Gazette," a New South V/ales country paper. It dealt with the arrival of the New Zealand hockey team under the following headings: Enzeds Invade Crookwell. Hockey Reps. from the Ricketty Isles." "That is only one example.," said Mr. Holland. "We got it in the Press everywhere we went, and people spoke to us about it. I spoke over the air on a number of occasions, and was introduced as the manager of the hockey team from the Shaking Isles. "A little while ago a cablegram was received in Australia about an earthquake 140 miles from Wellington — somewhere in the sea. An Australian friend, on reading it, said to me, 'That's censored, I'll bet. I wonder how many were killed.' That's the sort of thing you have to put up with. "New' Zealand tourists in Australia are looked upon as lucky people — lueky to escape the earthquakes in New Zealand and their chance of being killed. Dozens of people have told me that they wouldn't come to New Zealand because of the earthquakes. "When we have shakers here that are only technical ones after all, with the centre of disturbance thousands of miles away, I don't think the reports should be cabled abroad, foj New Zealand is being done inestimable harm hy their publication."