MEKONG RIVER PROJECT

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28529, 7 March 1958, Page 6

MEKONG RIVER PROJECT

Dollar Gift By N.Z. Announced

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) SINGAPORE, March 6.

New Zealand will give 100,000 American dollars to aid the mighty Mekong river scheme — •‘one of the great creative concepts of this century,” the Prime Minister, Mr Nash, said today. He announced the grant to the Economic Commission for Asia and tile Far East in Kuala Lumpur today, and his offer “beat the big nations to the punch.” While the, conference lobbies buzzed with talk of major aid proposals being drafted by the United States and Soviet delegations, New Zealand acted in the first major coup of the conference.

At the same time New Zealand may make available an expert to assist with a survey of the river resources, a current project. Mr Nash likened the Mekong proposal to the Tennessee River Authority, and reminded the conference that in one year the Tennessee scheme lifted living standards by 13 per cent. Y “There is no reason why Mekong should not better that rate,” he said.

The New Zealand offer of 106,000 dollars towards the initial year’s investigation costs showed his country’s practical interest in the project, Mr Nash said. New Zealand was a small country, but wished to play its part. The New Zealand offer will aid the investigation work on the Mekong project, which is expected’ to take five years. That work has been recommended by General Raymond Wheeler, a United Nations expert, the former United States Army Engineers man who commanded the clearance of the Suez Crfnal after the Egyptian scuttling programme. The Mekong, which rises in Tibet, flows 2500 miles from the Chinese border through Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The aim is to control and harness it for tremendous - power projects providing 4,[ million kilowatts of power a year, and to ujje it as an extensive inland waterway.

NO TRACE OF CULLER All-Day Air And Ground Search

In spite of a full day’s search from the air and by ground parties, no trace was found yesterday of the missing deer culler, Mr Ivor Jenkins, aged 23, of Rangiora, Who was last seen 16 days ago at Gibson’s hut, about 46 miles from the mouth of the Clarence river. v.

Footprints leading to the river at a point about 25 miles from the mouth were found by the search party on Wednesday and _a river accident is feared. Yesterday the search was concentrated in the river area, from the place where the footprints were found to the mouth of the river. An R.N.Z.A.F. aircraft from Wodfibourne made two flights over the area in the ihorning and one in the afternoon. The ground party, reduced from 40 to 12, also covered the area.

The main body of the search party, most of the members of which have been in the area where Mr Jenkins was last seen since Sunday, returned to Blenheim and Nelson last evening. A spokesman for the Nelson police said last evening that the ground search would be resumed at dawn today but it was unlikely that the air search would be continued.