UNEMPLOYMENT FEAR ATTACKED

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30980, 9 February 1966, Page 6

UNEMPLOYMENT FEAR ATTACKED

(New Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL, February 8. Comments from unionists that the establishment of a fifth freezing works in Southland would create higher unemployment were “difficult to follow,” the chairman of the Invercargill Chamber of Commerce (Mr C. T. A. Rattray) told the chamber at its meeting in Invercargill last night.

Mr Rattray was comment- » tog on earlier newspaper re- < ports saying delegates to the 1 Freezing Workers’ Associa- 1 tiion’s annual conference to < Christchurch were concerned that the estaiblishment of a ’ further works to the South- i land-Otaigo area would create i a serious problem of off-sea- : son employment for freezing : workers. “The announcement of the new works can be welcomed i by the whole of Southland,” i Mr Rattray said, adding: “It is difficult to follow why the : Freezing Workers’ Union con-

tinues to oppose it because of some miserable bogey that the establishment of an additional works would create unemployment. “We are over-employed mow. It seems to be the prerogative of some to sabotage progress. Noone should be allowed to hinder the development of Southland or New Zealand." Commenting on the indignation sweeping Otago over the South Island Freezing Works Investigation Committee’s decision to site the works in Southland, Mr Ratnay said the argument was “parochial. We have been guilty of parochialism ourselves at times.” The chamber secretary, Mr A. S. Alsweiler, said the committee’s decision was made on facts and figures and things forecast to happen in Southland in the future.