Lake Level Advice Sought

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31973, 28 April 1969, Page 1

Lake Level Advice Sought

Mr C. C. A. McLachlan, member of Parliament for Selwyn, believes that the Wallingford Hydraulic Research station in England could provide the answer to stabilising the level of Lake Ellesmere.

Mr McLachlan visited Wallingford while he was in Britain to attend the conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. “I discussed the background with the people there,” he said, “and they said they deal with this sort of thing all the time.” Mr McLachlan said he would propose that the Gov-

ernment ask the Wallingford station to investigate the problem, and make a model of the lake, as had been done with the Estuary. It was of interest to the Government—and to him in particular—because between 20,000 and 30,000 acres of farm land could be reclaimed if the lake was stabilised. Mr McLachlan said he believed that those affected would agree to stabilising the lake at 3ft An inter-departmental committee with representatives of the Works, Internal Affairs, Lands and Treasury departments had met to discuss the question just before he left for England. At the conference of the United Kingdom branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Messrs McLachlan and F. Colman,

member for Petone. were asked to give addresses about democracy in New Zealand.

"I came home convinced,” he said, “that no matter howgood the Minister of Finance is or how good the planning is, economic policies cannot succeed unless there is continuity of effort and sound industrial relations.

“Britain certainly has problems at the moment, and they won’t be healed until it can cure its industrial stoppages. The West German economy is sound because there is no industrial unrest and they get continuity of production." Mr McLachlan said he was not sure how West Germany avoided industrial stoppages, but he believed it was because of the severe penalties imposed for breaking industrial agreements.