VOLCANIST NEEDED

Southland Times, Issue 18833, 28 May 1920, Page 5

VOLCANIST NEEDED

AN EXPERT’S VIEWS. WELLINGTON, May 25. The importance of appointing a volcanhf for New Zealand is strongly advocated by Dr Jaggftrd, of Volcano House, Hawaii, who is world famous for his researches (says the correspondent of the Christchurch Press). This interesting science is almost in its infancy; yet, with the facts now known, the disaster at Martinique, when St. Pierre, with its population of some 30,000, was blotted on) with a blast from the volcano of Mont Pelc, could have been obviated. Of the whole population, only' two people were found alive, and one of these, a woman, died from her burns. The man, who lived, was in a prison, though he, also, was badly burned with the hot ashes that found their way into his- cell through a ventilator. In Japan, through their better knowledge of volcanology, the whole population of a city of many thousands of people were conveyed to a place of safety before a volcanic eruption on a grand scale occurred. But for the premonitory symptoms recognised by the Japanese, who have made a close study of the science, (hero would have been terrible loss of life. As it was, only gome eighty people lost their lives.

Some day in New Zealand a similar eruption may occur. We have had one such eruption in this country within recent years. Fortunately it was in a sparsely peopled district, but there is no saying when such another eruption may occur at, say. Rotorua, or even in the vicinity of Auckland itself, where there arc numerous old craters and the extinct volcano of Rangitoto. Such volcanoes have a habit of breaking out after lengthy- periods of quiescence. Apart from the scientific aspect of the question, the safely- of the people demands that we shall give some attention to volcanology in the active belt that lies across the North Island and stretches northward into the Pacific Ocean. Dr .laggard is strongly of opinion that something should be done, ami the sooner the better. A start could he made in quite a small way in the vicinity of the active volcano of Ngauruhoe, or, still better, in the Waimangu region, which is more accessible, and an equally interesting centre of activity. The man required for the job is a physicist. The study of geophysics is a fascinating one. and, perhaps, in one of our universities, some young man could be found who would make it his lile work. Dr Jaggard would, no doubt* give every possible assistance.