Anti-nuclear bill thrown out

Press, 7 August 1976, Page 1

Anti-nuclear bill thrown out

PA Wellington A bill to prohibit nuclear-powered ships and nuclear weapons from entering New Zealand waters failed to get a second reading in Parliament yesterday afternoon. A division on the introduction of the bill was won by the Government, 37-21. The bill, a private member’s motion brought by an Opposition back-bencher, Mr R. W. Prebble (Auckland Central), sought to endorse the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the South Pacific, and prohibit nuclear-powered ships and nuclear weapons from entering either New Zealand or New Zealand territorial waters. Debate about the bill carried over from

Thursday. Mr J. L, Hunt (Lab., Ne..‘ Lynn) said that yesterday was Hiroshima Day—3l years to the day when what had been called a“deterrent” was used. The effects of that explosion wer° still being felt by the people of Japan. Mr Hunt, appealing to all New Zealanders to lend their support to the bill, said it was not just “traitors” who considered nuclear warfare an abhorrent concept. There had been no nuclear tests in the atmosphere since a Labour Government sent a warship to the French nuclear testing site at Mururoa, he said. Mr J. K. McLay (Nat., Birkenhead) said there were serious implications inherent in Mr Prebble’s bill which threatened the existence of the A.N.Z.U.S. Treaty. The Labour Party would have to decide whether it

still wished to be a party to the pact. On a separate, but related, matter, the Royal New Zealand Navy is emphatic that there will be no United States warship taking part in the only large maritime exercise scheduled this year in New Zealand waters. A statement in Parliament on Thursday by the Minister of Defence (Mr McCready) seems to have caused some confusion, both in naval circles and in the news media. Mr McCready said that a nuclear-powered warship would take part in a naval and air exercise when it came to New Zealand. He did not say when or where the exercise would take place, but his statement was immediately taken to refer to the projected visit of a nuclearpowered vessel to -lew Zealand this month.

Exercise Auckex will begin on Monday, involving Australian and New Zealand ships and aircraft, including the submarine H.M.A.S. Otway, a conven-tionally-powered vessel. It will end on August 23, which is the rumoured date for a visit by the United States nuclear submarine Snook to Wellington. The exercise to which Mr McCready referred may be one outside New Zealand waters—possibly in Hawaii or South-East Asia. The frigate Otago may be the New Zealand ship involved in exercises with the nuclear ship. The Otago is now in Sydney, and is not involved in Auckex. Meanwhile police have been warned to expect a spate of telephone calls from people who may mistake the Otway for a nuclear vessel. The submarine will dock at Devonport today.