Inquiry Report Criticised By Buller County Council

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29269, 29 July 1960, Page 15

Inquiry Report Criticised By Buller County Council

He was not surprised that the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Holloway) had not released the report of the West Coast Committee of Inqury when copies had been “freely circulated on the West Coast,” the chairman of the Buller County Council (Mr R. Philp) told the monthly meeting of the council this week. "Some West Coast persons knew all about this a long time ago,” said Mr Philp. He. said the committee’s report had failed to give full consideration to Buller's case for a coalfired power generating station. There was nothing in the report which had not already been given to Ministers and Mines Department officials by local organisations, said Mr Philp. Reliance on hydro-electric power might be misplaced. An earthquake in the North Island could shatter the dams there and a break in the upper reaches of one of the main rivers would be a major disaster. Buller interests should combine to fight for the construction of a coal-fired plant near Wellington, said Mr Philp. "I know that the member of Parliament for Buller (Mr Skinner) has been fighting for such a scheme and has had a lot of encouragement from the Minister of Mines (Mr Hackett), but other members of Cabinet are obviously not interested,” he said. If a cable was laid across Cook Strait, it might be better to press

for a steam plant at’ Ngakawau, which could feed power to the South Island grid, said Cr. W. H. Martin. The Government, however, might be reluctant to establish such a station because of the heavy costs involved in running the Meremere station. Obsolete plant had always been used at Meremere, said Mr Philp The Prime Minister (Mr Nash) had apparently neglected to inspect a modern steam plant in the United Kingdom or to report on the possibility of establishing such a station in New Zealand. Mr. J. N. Mouat: A Cook Strait cable might also be cut and damaged by earthquake. Cr. Martin: It would be easier to repair than a chain of dams Other items from the committee’s report were:— Flax Industry.— The chairman said the committee had recommended various land development schemes and had referred to forestry work, but there had* been no mention of the development of the flax industry in Buller. Instead, the committee had suggested that swamps in the area which, he said, “grew the best flax in the country,” should be drained and sown in grass. Coal Mines.— The chairman said the committee recommended that all uneconomic coal mines on the West Coast should be closed, but that other jobs should first be found for the displaced miners and compensation paid for the transfer of their homes.