“Success Achieved By Pollution Council”

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32265, 7 April 1970, Page 7

“Success Achieved By Pollution Council”

Success had been achieved by the Pollution Advisory Council both in reducing and preventing water pollution, said the Minister of Works (Mr Allen), when he replied to criticism that there had been lack of progress in achieving the council’s aims “Since its inception in 1953, the council has worked steadily to educate and persuade dischargers of waste to take steps l to curb pollution,” Said the Minister. “This policy has enabled those whose activities are causing pollution to understand the nature of the problem, the necessity of re ducing pollution and the methods that can be em ployed. “The council is also effective in advocating pollution measures to local government authorities who have the responsibility of deciding on measures to combat pollution, often at considerable expense to ratepayers,” he said. “So far this has had con siderable success," he said “Local authorities have been extremely co-operative, especially in their programmes with sewage. Auckland, Christchurch, Whangarei, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Invercargill and Nelson are cities which have brought in satisfactory sew age disposal schemes." Industrial concerns bad also made considerable progress in solving their particular pollution problems, he said, and the council itself had achieved spectacular success with dairy factory waste disposal. The council had been in-

strumental in developing the spray irrigation method of disposing of dairy wastes on pasture. This had resulted in the complete elimination of water pollution at a large number of dairy factories. Pollution by waste from dairy sheds on farms could be effectively eradicated by Irrigation methods advocated by the council, the Ministei said. The Pollption Advisory Council, as an integral part of -the National Water and Soil Conservation Authority, was having Its activities fully co-ordinated . with othei aspects of water resource control, said the Minister. This would lead tb increased, Success in thd future, as the council would receive more assistance from its sister or, ganisation tham had occurred in the past