No cargo support

Press, 1 May 1978, Page 1

No cargo support

The Labour Party may be whistling in the breeze with its promises of another inter-island passenger ferry if the results of a survey carried out by the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association are any indication. Preliminary results from a survey of the association’s members views and requirements for coastal shipping indicate that there is not sufficient cargo to justify an increased service between Lyttelton and either Wellington or Auckland. The association’s director (Mr I. D. Howell) said the survey indicated that many companies used the services of freight forwarders which had special rates with the New Zealand Railways. One of the tmfjor dis-

advantages of coastal shipping, therefore, was the cost compared with railways, he said. High stevedoring costs, high wages, and inadequate service facilities in some harbours had also contributed to the decline of coastal shipping, he said. The survey indicated that the association’s decision not to oppose the withdrawal of the Rangatira, provided it was replaced with a regular cargo service capable of handling heavy engineering equipment, was justified, said Mr Howell. However, members did support a call for a suitable link span at Lyttelton to enable Cook Strait ferries to work between Lyttelton and Wellington when the Main North railway line was closed.