Protest rally on eve of smelter opening

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32777, 30 November 1971, Page 16

Protest rally on eve of smelter opening

(New Zealand Press Association >

INVERCARGILL. November 29.

A Save Manapouri protest rally in Invercargill tonight, on the eve of the smelter’s opening, grew to about 750 persons during its march in steady drizzle.

The marchers included several city councillors, and ministers of religion, and persons of all ages. Dozens carried roughly improvised placards.

Mr J. G. Chewings (Nat., Invercargill) had agreed to accept a message at 7 p.m. to hand to the Prime Minister (Sir Keith Holyoake) but the protesters’ speeches lasted longer than expected and the procession did not leave the Town Hall for the Prime Minister’s hotel until 7.30 pan. Foremost in the procession were two typical placards, “Open Your Smelter But Don’t Raise Our Lake,” “Who Owns This County, the People or Comalco?” Call for P.M.

Mr Chewings met them and as the parade marshal, Mr D. G. Kember, national secretary for the Save Manapouri Campaign, called them to order, Mr Chewings announced that Sir Keith Holyoake was prepared to receive six members of the group. Almost immediately the chant went up, “We want Keith, we want Keith . . .” At that moment Sir Keith Holyoake appeared on the scene and there was an immediate good-natured uproar. Mr Chewings introduced the local organiser for the campaign, Mr W. A. Bell, and Mr J. A. Howell, president-elect of the Otago University Students’ Association.

Sir Keith Holyoake also greeted several children who shyly approached him, and then turned to address the gathering. “Thank you for the orderly fashion in which you have conducted your rally,” he said. “I have had guards of honour on other occasions that were not so orderly. “I see that many questions are asked by your placards, and I couldn’t possibly answer them all —but I see in the front that one placard asks ‘Who owns This Country, the People or Comalco?’ I have no hesitation in answering—the people of New Zealand. They will decide the policies of New Zealand.” Resolutions Mr Bell then read to the Prime Minister the text of resolutions passed at the protest meeting. “This meeting declares:— That it is totally opposed to the raising of Lake Manapouri.

That it regards the building of a wide-based dam at Mararoa to facilitate the raising of the lake as unacceptable. That in view of recent statements by Comalco representatives that the company would not accept power from any source but Manapouri, it requests the Government to act now and either renegotiate the agreement or otherwise positively commit itself to ensuring the lake will be kept at its present level.

“This meeting further requests the Government to reexamine the need for excessive deepening of the outlet to Lake Te Anau and give an

assurance that the operation of the Te Anau central works does not produce permanent damage to the shoreline ecology of the lake.” For Cabinet

Sir Keith Holyoake accepted a copy of the resolutions and gave Mr Bell an assurance that he would have it on the Cabinet agenda and that all Ministers would be given a copy of it. A voice from the crowd: Are you going to raise the lake?

Sir Keith Holyoake: I can’t quite hear you, but I think I have got your message. The Prime Minister then returned into the hotel and the rally gradually dispersed. Twelve people picketed

Invercargill Airport in the afternoon to protest against the "Government’s inaction to renegotiate the Manapouri power agreement with Comalco.”

The placard-bearing protesters—three from Wellington, and the rest Southland-

ers—remained orderly and caused hardly a ripple among the many dignitaries who arrived for the opening of the Tiwai aluminium smelter tomorrow.

The only comment gleaned from Comalco executives from New Zealand, Australia and Britain, was from a middle-aged English executive. He walked among the protesters, gazed briefly at the placards, then smiling broadly, said: "Well, this is nice, isn’t it —just like home.”