Chch-Chathams link

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33815, 11 April 1975, Page 14

Chch-Chathams link

The Minister of Health and member of Parliament for Lyttelton (Mr McGuigan) had shown once again his scant disregard for Chatham Islanders, who formed part of his electorate, the chairman of the Lyttelton branch of the National Party (Mr R. Gormack) said on ; Wednesday evening.

Mr Gormack yvas commenting on a reply from Mr McGuigan, primed in “The Press” on Tuesday, to criticism of the ChristchurchChatham Island transport links made by the Deputy Mayor of Christchurch (Cr P. - J. Skellerup). Mr Gormack said that Mr McGuigan’s reply included several claims which yvere untrue, used false logic, and demonstrated Mr McGuigan’s lack of concern and knowledge of recent events. “Mr McGuigan says that the Waitangi-Hapupu road has been constructed in the last two years and a half.

This is not so, as it was being used well before that time,” said Mr Gormack. “Also, the claim that the meatworks were closed down by National and reopened by this Government is an obvious distortion of the facts that Mr McGuigan should have knoyvn. The contract with Borthwicks to; operate the yvorks was let! ;three months before the last; General Election,” said Mr Gormack.

I “Mr McGuigan’s sugges- ; tion that the islands now: I have a regular shipping ser- ; vice is also a complete fabri- > cation of his imagination. ; “These are merely 7 issues ;that Mr McGuigan raises to ;cloud the very real concern ;that Mr Skellerup and others ;are trying to bring to the notice of the Government. “Mr McGuigan stated that ‘ the ‘Christchurch-Chathams ‘flights have not been able to cope with the traffic offering,’ and uses this as a reason to stop the service. Surely this is the very reason that the flights should be continued. It is this type of twisted logic that yve have

come to expect from the Labour Ministers. “If the suspension was introduced after agreement with the Chathams County Council, why yvere their submissions made to the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr May), returned unread? “If the Government really has the welfare of the people yvho live on the Chatham Islands at heart, they should at least listen to them when they pay $l5O each to fly to Wellington,” said Mr Gorm,ack.