AIRPORT FOR AUCKLAND

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28697, 22 September 1958, Page 12

AIRPORT FOR AUCKLAND

“No Need For Plans To Be Dormant” (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, Sept. 21. Failure to pass the Auckland Harbour Board (Airport) Empowering Bill during this session of Parliament should not stop Auckland local bodies and the Government from getting on with preliminary planning and investigation for Mangere airport, said the chairman of the international airport committee (Mr J. W. Hyland) yesterday. ‘ 'There Is no need for this vital issue to lie dormant until the middle of next year when Parliament meets again,” he said. The local bodies had commissioned the American airport management consultant, Mr Leigh Fisher, to report on Mangere and they were obliged to meet his fees. The Government had already agreed to meet half the cost. This meant, therefore, that the local bodies arid the Government could receive the report and act upon it, said Mr Hyland. “Surely the local bodies, led by the City Council and the Government, could find enough money to finance the first-stage investigations if they were given an assurance that this expense would be validated later when an airport is established,” Mr Hyland said. He understood that an approach had been made to the Government to advance enough money to enable some work to go on before the airport authority was set up ( but that the Government had so far not made a decision.