Uncustomary airport welcome

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33916, 8 August 1975, Page 1

Uncustomary airport welcome

2 Air travellers who arrived in 2 Christchurch from Australia last evening 5' passed through the cus5 toms gates without so 5 much as a look of sus5; picion from officials — 3 there were no officials. 4 Because of a national ban on i. overtime by customs al staff, the officers at

Christchurch Airpori went off duty at 5 p.m Two flights from Austra lia arrived just after ! p.m, and at 6.20 p.m. Passengers were told hall way across the Tasmar that there would be nc checks, apart from th( usual ones made by tht Ministry of Agriculture for Quarantine purposes

: They walked through the unmanned channels loaded down with their stereo sets, cigars, and de luxe whisky. Said one traveller: “If only I had known, I would have bought a much larger stereo.” The ban on overtime was announced yesterday by the Comptroller of Cus-

toms (Mr J. A. Kean),| At Lyttelton, the customs i officers work shifts, and will be able to cover a longer period each day, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., without overtime. If the ban on overtime were] to continue and many] persons were coming in-] to the country unchecked, then the police

might instigate searches for drugs, said Superintendent J. A. Jamieson. Under the Narcotics Act they are able to do this. Officers of the Ministry of Agriculture will continue their routine checks, but they have no control over drugs except for cannabis seed, which is a noxious weed.