Minister Praises Catchment Work

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31074, 1 June 1966, Page 6

Minister Praises Catchment Work

‘The Press” Special Service

NELSON, May 31.

Although secondary industry had expanded enormously in recent years, New Zealand remained basically an agricultural country, the Minister of Works (Mr Allen) told members of the Catchment Boards’ Association when he opened the twentieth conference of the association in Nelson today.

“It will be many a long year before we become a country dependent on secondary industry, particularly heavy engineering industry,” Mr Allen said. “While this industry must be encouraged in every way, and should complement our agricultural production, the full development of our primary re-.

sources must remain our fundamental aim.” Mr Allen said there was still hundreds of thousands of unproductive acres to be brought into production. A start had been made, but the first target should be to preserve, protect and obtain the maximum from the land already in use.

“I believe that we are at last making real progress in soil conservation and water control,” Mr Allen said. “The public are at last recognising that your work not only means spectacular increases in production, but protection against disastrous flooding.

“Public awareness is necessary so that you will receive more and more support for your activities. You are doing conservation work of which you can be justly proud.

“Your work must help to ensure continued production, so vital to our economy, to, complement the extensive efforts being made to expand our overseas markets in primary produce. “Whether Great Britain will join the Common Market, and what effect this will have on New Zealand is anybody’s guess. For our primary pro-

duce there are other markets. It is our responsibility to ensure that our land is conditioned to cope with and cater for ail demands.

“The world is hungry for food. We should use our land resources to enable us to contribute our full share to the world’s markets. This can only be done by intelligent, economical use of our land, by further land development, by farm production that enables us to export our produce at reasonable cost.”