SOUTH ISLAND PROGRESS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29250, 7 July 1960, Page 14

SOUTH ISLAND PROGRESS

Factors Outlined By Mr Holloway (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 6. More South Islanders should invest in their own projects—as had Southlanders—rather than try and send their money elsewhere, the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Holloway) said in the House of Representatives tonight. He said the South Island was dependent on its own investments. It s as not true the South Island had been retarded in progress because of development of the North Island, he said. The South Island was developing very quickly indeed. The last few years had held greater promise of coming development and prosperity in the South Island than ever before.

- Mr Holloway listed these factors on which he based his confidence: (1) The revival of the wheat industry in which production had recently tripled and had added £3 million to £4 million in purchasing power in Canterbury. (2) The increasing Southland sheep capacity. The Bay of Plenty and other areas were progressing—but none more than Southland.

(3) Land development schemes on the West Coast and in Otago. (4) Money and effort going into power production, as evidenced by Roxburgh and Benmore schemes.

(5) The Wellington-Picton rail ferry, which would cut the high costs of distribution—the greatest single factor retarding the settlement of industry in the South Island. The ferry, which would enable a truck loaded at Invercargill to be unloaded at Auckland, would combat this. (6) The £l5O million aluminium industry proposed for Southland. The potential export capacity of this industry would rank behind only wool, meat and combined dairy produce.

(7) South Island woollen mills’ expansion—perhaps the greatest single' recent phase of industrial expansion.

(8) Engineering Industry capacity in and around Christchurch.