Southland Told To Promote Industry

Press, Volume C, Issue 29515, 17 May 1961, Page 18

Southland Told To Promote Industry

(New Zealand Press Association)

INVERCARGILL, May 16. It seemed that ancillary and other industries would not necessarily rise automatically in Southland with the establishment of the big aluminium smelter, Mr B H. Taiboys, Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Industries and Commerce, said last evening. Southlanders must promote the province and Government departments, particularly industries and commerce, could help. New and more industry was important to the Dominion. “We must get a new line of thought running throughout New Zealand that there is a very real contribution to be made in the export of our manufactures,” said Mr Taiboys. He was the speaker at the annual meeting of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce. A . not inconsiderable amount of manufactured goods was being exported already from New Zealand. There were some odd items. For instance, piston rings were being exported to the United States. That sug-

gested, said Mr Taiboys, that there were other possibilities j and that part of the obstacle j in developing them “might be! in our own thinking.” Opportunity There was tremendous opportunity in Southland for those ready to grasp it, he said. He gave some Department of Agriculture figures to illustrate the strides the province was expected to make. The department estimated the 1956-57 Southland ewe and wether total would have increased about 100 per cent, by 1985. that there would be an increase of 135 per cent, in the number of lambs likely to be slaughtered and an increase of 136 per cent, in the export availability of lamb and mutton. An estimated increase to 123,000 tons in exports of i mutton and lamb by 19851 would lead to further ex-1 pansion in freezing works.: and allied industry. The primary production would provide a sound basis for secondary industry. The prospect of the aluminium smelter had sparked imaginations. It would mean much to Southland and New Zealand.. No doubt normal retail services would develop automatically, but every effort would need to be • made to encourage more industrial growth “to give us the balance that is so desirable.” Encouragement Mr Taiboys said he had always thought before that Southland would see ancillary industries using aluminium but developments at Kitimat caused him to wonder what encouragement was needed. A rolling mill for aluminium sheet and strip was being built at Auckland and extrusion mills would be established at Auckland and New Plymouth. "I don't think there’s anything automatic about the industries coming,” said Mr Taiboys. “So we must promote Southland, getting the word about of the possibilities here and the resources we have.” He acknowledged the work being done in that sphere by the Southland Progress League, which was at present working on an industrial brochure. He thought some of the finest publicity Southland could have was in an article in the annual report of the Kaiser Aluminium and Chemical Corporation, an equal partner in the Aus-tralia-New Zealand Aluminium project.