No word to Govt on state of tests

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32959, 4 July 1972, Page 1

No word to Govt on state of tests

(Kew Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, July 3.

The Government has not yet received any word from the French Government about the nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll.

Replying to questions at a press conference after today’s meeting of the Cabinet, the Prime Minister (Mr Marshall) said he had no official confirmation of a press report that the test series had been concluded.

In fact there had been no official word from the French that the tests had started. Mr Marshall would not comment on whether he believed the press accounts were accurate. He also said in reply to a question that he had not received any confirmation from any other source that the tests had been held.

An approach had been made through the New Zealand Ambassador in Paris (Mr O. P. Gabites). but he had not been able to get confirmation. New Zealand had not officially informed France about the possible sailing of the trawler Boy Roel into the test area, he said, but if it did seriously get away, then New Zealand would inform the French of the situation. FLOTILLA PLANS

In the meantime the Peace Media Research Organisation is pressing on with plans to send a small flotilla into the test zone.

The 22-foot yacht Wanea left Oamaru for Wellington and the Pacific test zone, and another craft is expected to leave the North Island within the next few days. The Auckland organiser for the project. Mr R. W. Boshier, said today that enough finance had been raised to send away at least one of three boats now being prepared for a protest voyage.

The author. Maurice Shadbolt. will be in the crew of the next yacht to leave from the North Island. Mr Boshier said the next protest boat to leave would definitely be registered in New Zealand and the organisation would look to the Government to support her crew if she were subject to acts of piracy and boarded by the French military authorities.

If necessary the group would like the new fngate, H.M.N.Z.S. Canterbury 'to be diverted on her voyage to New Zealand from Europe. The Canterbury is now in the Pacific.

Mr Boshier said the organ-

isers would keep details of their plans secret until the craft were ready to sail. A message from the Boy Roel timed at 9.40 p.m. today showed the trawler to be about 115 nautical miles due north of East Cape and 156 miles from Tauranga. This means the vessel has sailed 100 miles since the radio call at 10.30 on Sunday night, when she was practically hove-to in choppy seas.

A cable received by Mr Boshier gave the position as 35 degrees, 44 minutes south, 178 degrees 25 minutes east. It also gave an “all 0.K.” on equipment. LINE SUFFERS

The New Caledonia-based Sofrana Line is experiencing hardship because of the Federation of Labour ban. The line’s New Zealand officials today approached waterside union officials at Onehunga and Tauranga to try to get them to agree to the handling of the Capitaine

Tasman (at Onehunga) and Capitaine Cook (at Tauranga). The Onehunga watersiders refused to work the ship at that port because of the F.O.L. ban. Tauranga union officials said today they had not received any new request to work the ship. The line’s New Zealand manager, Mr J. C. Jean-Louis, said the ships might be sailed back to New Caledonia if the ban continued and crews would be paid off. A representative of the Fiji Seamen’s Union, which has many members working on Sofrana ships, will fly to Tauranga to investigate the plight of crew members. Although the ships’ crews work cargoes at Pacific Island ports, the Sofrana Line considers it impractical to allow the ships to be discharged by their crews in New Zealand as it may cause a bigger ban. Mr Jean-Louis said the company was losing more than $6OOO a day and just could not continue doing so. Ships would eventually have to be sold if the ban continued, he said.