Text Of Agreement For Release Today

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29108, 21 January 1960, Page 14

Text Of Agreement For Release Today

WELLINGTON, January 20. The full text of the aluminium agreement signed last night will be released for publication tomorrow, the Prime Minister (Mr Nash) said today. Mr Nash said he wanted to confer with the Cabinet before he released the agreement for publication. The Prime Minister faced a barrage of questions on the agreement from renorters at his press conference today. The only details of the agreement so far released are those contained in the Prime Minister’s brief statement announcing the signing last night. Photographers were present when the agreement was signed in Mr Nash’s office last night bu* renorters were not admitted Mr Nash told renorters tndav that the agre“ment provided ’or Consolidated Zinc to snend an initial £25 000 on an investiea tion of the aluminium smelting project If the company continues with its investigations after that, it will have to spend another £lOO,OOO. Mr Nash said

Then if the company decides not to proceed with establishing the smelting plant, the results of its investigations will become the property of the New Zealand Government.

Mr Nash today released extracts from letters between the Government and Consolidated Zinc dealing with the preservation of Te Anau-Manapouri scenery.

In a letter to Mr Nash last September the vice-chairman of Consolidated Zinc (Mr M. A Mawby) who signed the agreement. said:

“I wholeheartedly endorse your sentiment that engineering

works can be executed in such a way that they add to scenic attractions rather than detract from them, and assure you that such will be our aim in any works which we undertake. We are fully conscious of the scenic attractions of the Te Anau-Mana-pouri area and of the pride which your people take in these.” In a letter to Mr Mawby in October, Mr Nash said: “The preservation of scenic qualities has caused some agitation because certain other engineering works in a scenic locality have been the subject of oublic controversy and I am glad to have your views. “Although there will almost certainly be agitation and pressure about the establishment of a major engineering project in one of New Zealand’s most attractive scenic resorts, I am satisfied that by conscientious attention to objectives and mutual regard for the undertaking you put forward, we can demonstrate that the industry will not have any serious repercussions on our tourist trade or scenic resorts”