Paraparaumu Scheme “Carrot For Electors”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30289, 15 November 1963, Page 26

Paraparaumu Scheme “Carrot For Electors”

Airports had replaced railway stations as “the carrot dangled before electors,” said a statement made by the Christchurch branch of the Air League of New Zealand. The statement, approved by the branch’s annual meeting said Cabinet approval in principle to a scheme to develop Paraparaumu Airport was “an example of the ultimate in lobbying technique and the bureaucratic creation of white elephants. “In the annual report of the National Airways Corporation, mention is made of the difficulties met by the corporation in paying the airport dues under the ‘userpays’ philosophy of the Civil Aviation Administration," says the statement 'S.P.A.N.Z. has been successful in having a remission of its dues in order to carry on. Yet the proposal is now to lay out £l.B million as a minimum to develop a further airfield, and the justification, with strange logic, is a saving of £375,000 a year to the major operators. “In view of this justification, may we expect that the ‘user-pays’ philosophy is to be abandoned?” the statement asked. “The interest alone on £1.6 million at 5 per cent is £BO,OOO and thus, under the ‘user-pays’ philosophy must

be found by the major airlines, either by passing on the extra charges to every traveller or by reducing profits.” The statement said, that at present there was no question of subsidising the fares of travellers in, say. Bluff or Kaitaia, who had to travel to Christchurch, Wellington, or Auckland to go io .Australia, or to Auckland for Norfolk Island or Fiji. Why should the Wellington traveller be subsidised in this manner? “In terms of time and comfort, Paraparaumu is no closer to Wellington than Mangere or Christchurch International Airport,” it added. “If a service through Wellington is vital could not the BACII, the most likely successor to the Viscount, be employed to advantage to provide it,” the statement said.

Fires In October.— The Christchurch Fire Brigade attended 134 fires last month compared with 110 in October last year. Seventy-three of the fires last month caused damage to property. There were 16 chimney fires and 45 grass fires. Children playing with matches started six fires, and fireworks caused another one that damaged a house.