“Public Told Facts Of Aircraft Choice”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31365, 10 May 1967, Page 1

“Public Told Facts Of Aircraft Choice”

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, May 9.

The public was well informed of the facts leading to the decision to buy the Boeing 737 as replacement aircraft for the N.A.C. Viscounts, said the Minister of Civil Aviation (Mr Gordon) tonight.

Mr Gordon was commenting on a statement by the director of the British Trade Association of New Zealand (Mr C B. Crompton) who said that Mr Gordon could not be so naive as to think that he had given the public enough information on the purchase ef the Boeing jets. Mr Gordon replied: “Who’s naive?

“I have already said pub-

licly that N.A.C. have been urging the Government for more than a year to buy the 737, which means that they have done detailed studies over a longer period than that. “During the year a great many relevant facts have been published,” said Mr Gordon. “The Department of Civil Aviation, at the Government’s instruction, has spent that same year going over N.A.C.'s case with a fine toothcomb." The British Minister in the Board of Trade (Lord Brown) had said in New Zealand recently that he appreciated the frankness and thoroughness with which the Government had considered the case and discussed it with him, said Mr Gordon.

“After all that, is Mr Crompton naive enough to imagine that the decision to buy Boeings was taken without good reason, or that it cannot be defended very vigorously?”