DEVELOPMENT OF CHATHAMS

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27638, 20 April 1955, Page 14

DEVELOPMENT OF CHATHAMS

Suggestions By Mr Lake CO-ORDINATION OF STATE ASSISTANCE (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, April 19. The appointment of a senior officer of the Island Territories Department to co-ordinate departmental activity on the Chatham Islands was urged by Mr H. R. Lake (Government, Lyttelton), who last week made his second visit to the islands. Speaking in the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives today he also asked that consideration be given to long-term land development and the opening later of a small freezing works, as an officer of the Department of Agriculture had estimated that production could be trebled.

The construction of an air strip in the Chatham Islands should be the top priority, said Mr Lake. Over the years the settlers had experienced frustration, and any assistance would be warmly welcomed. The islands were a real outpost of New Zealand. The climate compared with that on the coast between Paraparaumu and Wanganui. The problems of the islands warranted the appointment of a departmental co-ordinating officer. A considerable improvement in administration would result as he felt that the islands needs received only spasmodic attention when they were referred to departments. The Resident Commissioner should be given the fullest support from the mainland. In the small area of the Chatham Islands the people had all the problems of a country like New Zealand. They hoped to have visits from other Ministers, and the Minister of Lands had indicated his desire to make a visit.

Transport was the biggest problem. Freight rates were high, and would probably always be high. It cost 20s to ship each sheep to Lyttelton, and betwean £8 and £9 fori each head of cattle. General freight was £9 a ton, and petrol cost 6$ 6d a gallon. Production had been substantially increased as a result of encouragement given by the Government over the last four or five years by sending technical officers, specially from the Department of Agriculture. Discussing the possibility that 1000 head of cattle would have to be shot unless shipping was made available, Mr Lake said it seemed a shocking thing that the islanders should be called on to suffer a loss of that nature. * . A voice: It is a national loss. International RolL— Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, this year has a wider representation of overseas students than ever before. Besides the large number of New Zealanders there are men from Australia (including Tasmania), India, Ceylon, Nepal, Malaya, Indonesia, Chile, and the Cook Islands.