Rangatira charter extension urged

Press, 8 July 1976, Page 6

Rangatira charter extension urged

The Rangatira’s charter should be extended into 1977, according to a report by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce’s transport committee last evening.

Extension of the charter would cover the holiday period, and allow a transition time to introduce the Hawea, the report said.

Such an action should be considered by the Government, as there had been a rapid change in conditions of the service since the Minister of Transport (Mr McLauchlan) met a South Island deputation recently, the report said.

These included the discovery that roads and bridges had already proved unable to accept extra loading without expensive and extensive upgrading, and that the Hawea was not going to work as smoothly as had been envisaged because other ships would have to use the only suitable berth for her. Other reasons were that any delay in the Aritika’s return from Hong Kong before the holiday period would create extreme problems, and

that the Picton service was, already completely booked j for cars at popular holiday; times. The cost of retaining the Rangatira until 1977 would be a small price to pay for : insurance to cover essential services for the North Island and South Island, the report said. Increased loadings had already added to income on the service, with the new freight charges. Criticism of the Government’s “lack of a comprehensive transport policy” was made at the meeting. Such “ill-considered” actions as the withdrawal of the Rangatira merely encouraged industry' to move from the South Island and contribute to urban sprawl in the north, a member said. “The Rangatira may not be ideal, but if she is removed before the Government completes formulation of an over-all transport policy, it will do the business community a grave disservice.”

Trade unions were “conniving” to gain extra paid 'holidays, according to the chairman of the chamber’s industrial committee (Mr L. A. Holland). He was referring to recent strikes by Lyttelton unions, and this week’s 24-hour stoppages by Timaru port unions to protest against the wage freeze. Stoppages by individual unions on successive days effectively tied up the port and prevented related union members from working, he said. Timaru Harbour Board workers were to go on strike at midnight, preventing the stevedores and watersiders from working. These unions would hold stoppages on Thursday and Friday, giving union members two days of paid holiday while they were not on strike, but could not work. Another member said that extra overtime on higher rates of pay would probably be worked to clear the backlog caused by stoppages.