S.I. Urged To Keep Pace With North

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29938, 27 September 1962, Page 14

S.I. Urged To Keep Pace With North

(Wen: Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL, September 26. Leaders of local bodies in the South Island were today called on to set the pace in keeping up with the progress of the North Island which it was said was outstripping the South Island almost four-fold in population and industrial growth. The plea was made by the preside.it of the South Island Local Bodies Association, Mr M. Wallace, of Western County, in his report to its annual conference which opened in Queenstown today.

It was difficult to see in the short term how the trend to the North Island could be halted or even the present position maintained, he said. It was conceded that the North Island had certain advantages but these should not account for a rate of growth almost four times that of the South Island. “But the tide still runs strongly northward and the great bulk of new development projects gives everincreasing impetus to the current. “Successive governments give lip service to the ideal of industrial dispersal and balanced growth, but little concrete action,” he said. Questioning whether the fullest use of modern aids was being made to increase production Mr Wallace said that last year the known irrigable area of land in the South Island was 900.000 acres. Yet well below 100.000 acres was irrigated. Of 90.000 holdings in New Zealand only 37 per cent were in the South Island and of 22.600.000 acres of occupied unimproved land, more than 16 million acres or 73 per cent was in the South Island. “Even allowing for some millions of acres of high run country these facts do not make comfortable reading.” he said. Irrespective of industrial progress, it should be remembered that full and efficient land use either for farming or for afforestation would be the deciding factor in longterm efforts to keep pace with the North Island progress

It had been said by the Director-General of Forests that ultimately the South Island's production of timber oroducts would far outstrip the North Island's and if

those in the South Island seized their opportunities the present improper balance between the islands could be corrected. Mr Wallace listed several South Island projects which had been completed or were near completion. He said that the position of Southland’s aluminium industry was more obscure. “Its very magnitude to terms of costs appears to be the retarding factor.” Mr Wallace said.