Blenheim Seeks Industrial Development

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30154, 11 June 1963, Page 18

Blenheim Seeks Industrial Development

Blenheim was waking up, the mayor of Blenheim (Mr S. P. Hurling) told “The Press’’ recently. The awakening had come because the Aramoana Service had put paid to the idea that the South Island stalled at Christchurch, he said.

Because of the rail-road ferry service, Blenheim was “. . . now on main street,” Mr Harling said. Blenheim would continue to change.

“We have a farming community but not all farmers’ sons want to be fanners, and we have no major industry we can put them to. One of these days we will get ourselves an industry." Mr Harling predicted that in the future, Blenheim residents would say a lot of things started in 1963. Much of it would be due to the Aramoana service putting Blenheim on the main through-route into the South Island.

Mr Harling held out hopes for the industrial future of Blenheim. “I think they cannot expand much more in Wellington and Lower Hutt. I think New Zealand is going to keep on expanding industrially and the people who are going to do this will take'a look.at us.” Blenheim was searching desperately for industry, the Blenheim public relations officer (Mr A. Beverley) said. There was a large commercial building programme going on in Blenheim but it was mostly from local firms, he said. The value of building in the borough was about £750.009 a year. Picton was experiencing a tourist boom and Blenheim was promoting tourism “all out” and trying to lengthen the holiday period. Blenheim was getting a moderate flow of tourists throughout he year, even during the

winter, but in the main the area's economy depended on its primary produce, and this would probably always be so. Blenheim also got a considerable amount of transit traffic from the rail-road ferry Aramoana. Hotel accommodation in Blenheim, however. was reaching saturation point.

Next year in Blenhim there will be at least five big conferences and four national sporting championships. There will also be a boat show in the New Year. The Royal New Zealand Air Force station at Woodbourne had a very definite effect oh the Blenheim economy, Mr Beverley said.

The ration had recently been expanded and would be the rriain R N.Z.AF. aervice centre and now had full jet engine teeting equipment. Woodbourne was also a civil airfield and handled the second largest number of aircraft movement* in the South Island, after Christchurch International Airport. Mr Beverley said he would like to see a large educational facility in the area, for instance a technical training centre.

Blenheim's population was growing steadily and it would be a race between Blenheim and Oamaru to see which would be the next city in the South Island.