Raising Lake ‘Sad Thing’

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32214, 5 February 1970, Page 12

Raising Lake ‘Sad Thing’

“‘Mana’ means prestige, and ‘pouri’ means ‘sadness’,” Mr G. A. Sanders said at a meeting of the Canterbury Chambet of Commerce in Christchurch last evening. “It will be a very sad thing for New Zealand if the decision; to raise the level of the! lake goes ahead.” ! Mr Sanders was speaking!

! to a motion by the immediate I ■past president (Mr R. C. Wal-j 'lace), who proposed that two! I sub-committees should pre-; I pare a report for discussion) !at the next meeting of the! ; chamber’s council. The: motion was passed. “We are vitally interested! | in this subject,” said Mr R. E.j ! Smith, another former presiIdent of the chamber. | “I think the public of New i Zealand are in fact saying to the Government: ‘You will | have to convice us it is abso- | lutely necesary before we will agree to any despoliation of | our natural assets.’ “The raising of the level of Manapouri cannot do otherwise than detract from its beauty and appeal.” said Mr Smith. “The public must at ; all times say to Government departments: ‘We cannot ■ stand by to allow any inter- ; ference with natural assets • without regard to other con--1 sideration’.”

Bible Readings More than 60,000 calls J have been made to the Opawa Baptist Church’s dial-a-Bible- ! reading service since it began lin June, 1968. The minister lof the church (the Rev. G. IF. Coombs) said yesterday that calls now averaged about 240 a day. The 24-hour service provides callers with a two-minute message which inI eludes a welcome, a Bible reading and an indication of where to seek further advice.

Nominated.— Mr E. A. Taylor has been selected as the Amateur Athletic Association’s nomination for manager of the ’New Zealand team to the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh this year. A former national hurdles champion, he is secretary of the Waikato centre.

Mr Sanders said that the matter was urgent and should be debated that evening. “We don’t know what is written into the Comalco contract, and as New Zealanders we should know," he said. Mr L. M. Fairweather, a new member recently moved from Invercargill, said that ;the people of Southland were

very alarmed at the situation. The president of the chambei- (Mr J. M. Tocker) said an editorial in “The Press” on January 26 was the best statement he had seen on the position. The main point made was that the preservation of the lake level would be at a price and this had to be considered.