Chathams Airstrip Promised Urgency

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30541, 9 September 1964, Page 18

Chathams Airstrip Promised Urgency

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, September 8. An assurance that the provision of a landing -ground in the Chatham Islands would be treated as a matter of urgency was given by the Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr McAlpine) during discussion on the civil aviation estimates in Parliament this evening.

He could not guarantee, however, that provisions for the airstrip would be in supplementary estimates this year. Mr N. E. Kirk (Opp., Lyttelton) said he was surprised that the estimates under discussion contained no provision for the long-promised airstrip. By April of next year, the Sunderlands would be on their way out, he said, and the strip at Haupupu was too far away for most islanders. Mr Kirk said that on November 23, 1960, the present Prime Minister, then in Opposition, had said that the provision of efficient facilities was a matter of urgency. Op June 29, 1963, Sir Leon Gptz had said the same. In May of this year, the Minister of Internal Affairs had said that ail investigations had been completed, and that he hoped to put the matter before the Cabinet shortly. Yet this had not happened. Already this year there had been two calls on the R.N.Z.A.F. for emergency services. A death had terminated one case, but in the

other, in which a small child had been flown to Auckland, there had been success.. . “This is not a matter of economics, but a matter of absolute necessity,” Mr Kirk said. “The time is overdue for its decision.” He said that Whanga lagoon and the flying-boats were an ideal solution. The airstrip had a season lack of access, and was also short of petrol facilities. On one occasion, an N.A.C. plane making the round trip got back to Christchurch with 15 minutes’ petrol in its tanks. No Guarantee Mr McAlpine said that a meeting between officials of Civil Aviation, Internal Affairs and Island Territories was scheduled for late this week. Plans would be submitted and the results of on-the-spot investigations discussed. Bue he could not guarantee at this stage that the result would be in the supplementary estimates for this year.