Labour M.P.’s Reply On Siting Of Alcan Plant

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29747, 14 February 1962, Page 14

Labour M.P.’s Reply On Siting Of Alcan Plant

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, Feb. 13.

Further exchanges were made today in the argument on the siting of the Alcan plant in the North Island and not in the South. The four Labour members of Parliament representing Dunedin electorates issued a reply to the AttorneyGeneral, Mr Hannar’s, original allegation that Alcan had desired to locate the plant in the South Island. These members, Mrs E. E. McMillan (North Dunedin), and Messrs P. G. Connolly (Dunedin Central), W. A. Fraser (St. Kilda) and W. A. Hudson (Mornington), claimed that there was no justification for charges levelled at them by Mr Hanan. His statement would not bear investigation, they said. The Dunedin members said that the managing director of the company (Mr Ashley) had stated definitely that he did not have any dealings with Mr Hanan, and at no time had the company said it wanted to come to Otago or Southland. Sites Examined “Two sites were examined by the company in the South Island because Mr Nordmeyer had stressed the importance and advantages to them of establishing industries in the South Island.” the members claimed.

“However, they decided on the Auckland province. We, as local members of Parliament, have always pressed for industry in the South Island, and always will, but in the final analysis the decision must rest with the industry concerned” In reply. Mr Hanan stated: “I said origin-ally that the company had desired to establish the industry m the South Island if it could nbtatin cheap elecricity. The authority for my statement is the second-to-last paragraph of a letter written by the then Minister of Finance (Mr Nordmeyer)

on February 6, 1959, to Canadian Aluminium, Ltd., the parent company of the concern now established at Wiri (Auckland). The letter read: “1 have given special consideration to your desire that you should be assured of power at a cheap rate, say threefarthings a unit, if you establish the industry in the South Island."

Mr Hanan concluded: “I have never claimed to have had any dealings with Mr Ashley in Auckland—but perhaps he did not know of Mr Nordmeyer's letter to his parent company."