Harbour Board rebuts Timaru criticism

Press, 20 April 1979, Page 3

Harbour Board rebuts Timaru criticism

It was time that all the facts were made known about recent published suggestions of the Timaru Harbour Bpard that Lyttelton was doing something untoward with its inner-harbour development, said Mr R. G. Gerard when the Lyttelton Harbour Board met yesterday.

The chairman of the Timaru board (Mr B. J. Petrie) has been reported as saying he was seeking Ministerial intervention to combat a move by Lyttelton to use a 5962 Loan "and Empowering Act to seek loan approval. “This work has been reported to be to enable the port to handle roll-on and quarter-ramp ships and, more particularly, to compete with the Port of Timaru,” Mr Petrie said. He asserted that the Lyttelton board was “making a mockery of the most important statutory responsibilities of the Ports Authority.” Mr L. W. Laing of the Lyttelton board, said yester-

day that he resented the charge that Lyttelton was doing something underhand with its proposed demolition of No. 6 wharf and development of No. 7 wharf for the new generation of rollon shipping. “Sir Basil Arthur (a former Labour Minister of Transport) was also reported on the Lyttelton move and talking about reclamation ... I would have thought after his recent visit here it would have got through to him that we are talking of demolition and not reclamation,” said Mr Laing. The board’s chairman (Mr J. E. Mannering) said he was disturbed about the many erroneous statements being made by the Timaru board. “We are simply fulfilling our obligation and responsibility to cope with a new type of conventional shipping,” he said. “It is quite incorrect for Mr Petrie and Sir Basil Ar-

thur to say that we are circumventing the Ports Authority. Anything further I can say would only be repeating what was in ‘The Press’ this morning (April 19),” Mr Mannering said.

“The Press” item referred to the legislation previously obtained by the Lyttelton board before the Port Authority came into power. “If the Timaru board wants some straight talk it is time we gave it to them,” said Mr Gerard. Mr J. W. Davidson: It’s a cruel hard world out there, and if it is a case of dog eat dog I am not going to sit back and just eat bones. Captain A. R. Champion said he was annoyed about the Timaru attitude. Some strong statements were needed to let the Timaru board know that Lyttelton members intended to take no MORE.

Mr Mannering: I am quite happy to leave it just now with our defence published in “The Press.”