Labour promises ferry

Press, 11 April 1978, Page 6

Labour promises ferry

The Labour Party 'was committed to reinstating a regular freight and passenger service between Lyttelton and Wellington, said the Opposition spokesman on Trade and Industry (Mr Warren Freer) at the opening of the new Christchurch East branch of the Labour Party last evening.

This news was greeted with cheers by those at the meeting, held at the Tilford Street Union Church Hall. Mr Freer said that the Government could orovide a feed •stock for the Christchurch Gas Company until Maui gas came on stream, and said, “We will when we become the Government in November.”

Mr Freer promised that, under Labour, all the incentives for regional development that existed between 1972 and 1975 would be restored and expanded. This policy would be implemented immediately, not 'at the end of a three-year term, he said. [ The party would also reintroduce the policy in the (Commerce Act, before it was “drastically amended” by the Government, to prevent monopolies and take-overs that were not in the public interest, Mr Freer said, in reply to a question about what a Labour government would do to prevent shareholders “being bribed” into selling shares and taking companies out of “local control.” The import-licensing policy in the last three years would have been reviewed by Labour. “Some licences are being used improperly, some need cancelling and new ones issued, and manufacturing needs to go more into import substitution,” said Mr Freer.

Referring again to the Lvt-telton-Wellington service. Mr Freer said that his party was confident that the service could be economic. “Above all. when we talk about the industrial development of New Zealand we are talking about all New Zealand,” he said.