Rangatira saga near ’its ridiculous end’

Press, 13 August 1976, Page 18

Rangatira saga near ’its ridiculous end’

Parliamentary reporter Wellington

“The sad saga of the (Rangatira is coming to its ridiculous end.” Mr N. J. IKirk (Lab., Sydenham) said lon Wednesday, commenting lon the refusal to advertise the 'Rangatira’s services for the I August school holidays. . “The Minister of Transport |iMr McLachlan) is not being consistent. If the Rangatira is providing a commercial service, it should L - advertised. In answer to my urgent question in Parliament on Tuesday the Minister said that it was decided the additional expenditure involved in advertising could not be justified in view of the fact that the Rangatira comes off the Wellington-Lyttelton run on September 15. “I would like to point out to the Minister that September 15 is after the end of the school holidays, which makes

Ins answer look rather inade-i quate. A much more likely) explanation for not advertising is that the Minister is; afraid that the trading re-; suits of the Rangatira will, show a real improvement and that his decision to remove it from service was far tool hasty,” said Mr Kirk. I “In the interest of his own. region, he ought to recon-) sider the whole matter. The' Hawea is obviously not going to be an adequate replacement, and the Rangatira i should be kept on die run until he has looked at the whole question of interisland transport.”