Extra Govt. Consideration For Harewood Urged

Press, Volume C, Issue 29516, 18 May 1961, Page 6

Extra Govt. Consideration For Harewood Urged

Harewood was the only airport in New Zealand where the revenue from commercial enterprises exceeded landing fees, and in the last five years, revenue had increased from £27,500 to £105,000 This year, after providing £25.000 for depreciation, the Christchurch City Council was budgeting for a profit of £20,000, said the chairman of the council’s airport committee (Cr. A. R. Guthrey) yesterday. Cr. Guthrey was speaking at a function to mark the opening of a new service station at the airport. Representatives of the Christchurch City Council and other organisations concerned in the development of the airport attended, and the service station was officially opened by the Minister In charge of Civil Aviation (Mr McAlpine). Total Investments The total investments at the airport shared by the Government and the council were about £lm, and the total investments, which included expensive aircraft equipment and facilities, would not exceed £ljm, said Cr. Guthrey. He had seen a figure of £3om quoted as the cost of the three major airports in New Zealand, which meant that every man, woman and child was paying £lO a head towards their development w “But it is quite unfair to couple Christchurch airport with this figure,” said Cr. Guthrey. “We are not costing the taxpayer anything at all—yet.” The council had gone to the expense of sending the airport manager (Mr A. I. R. Jamieson) around the world, and the result was that the airport was being run efficiently as a proper business organisation. "Therefore, I feel we should have some special consideration from the Government for priority for reasonable requirements—l can assure the Minister they will always be reasonable.

“From the time of Sir Henry Wigram many men have been inspired by the airport and determined in advocating this forward move for aviation in Christchurch. In the early days it was a real struggle to convince the citizens that this project was worthwhile—fancy buying 500 acres on the outskirts of the city for aviation!” Problems Then there had been the problems with local bodies and successive Governments to convince them that money spent in Harewood’s development was profitably invested, said Cr. Guthrey. “The

future for commercial aviation is bright, but for Christchurch it is no brighter than the past. “I feel this service station augurs well in that it is an integral part of the development of the airport. It has been designed by Mr Paul Pascoe, who has made a special study of airport architecture, and it merges well with the other buildings." Cr. Guthrey thanked Mr McAlpine for his part in the development of the airport. “At one stage, the Christchurch City Council had difficulty in convincing the previous National Government of the need for a permanent terminal building because of opposition from the Minister’s advisers, who wanted a temporary building.” Cr. Guthrey wished success to the proprietor of the service station (Mr F. S. Parry), and said the station’s property would also mark the prosperity of the Christchurch City Council.