Transport problem for new pulp mill

Press, 26 June 1978, Page 4

Transport problem for new pulp mill

Wellington reporter The SBOM Karori pulp mill in the central North Island, due to begin production in October, has run into trouble over transporting the product to port for shipment to Japan. The mill has been built for Winstone, Ltd, to use timber from the Karori State forest, near Raetihi. A guaranteed market for 70 per cent of the mill output has been obtained with contracts to supply ' the Chonjur paper Manufacturing Company in South Korea. Output will be about 70,000 tonnes of pulp a year initially, rising to about 85.0Q0 tonnes. Production is due to begin in a few months, but changed plans for the transport of the product to port may upset this. It has been intended to rail the product via Taumarunui and Stratford to New Plymouth. Only poor roads around the mill would have needed to be upgraded to enable work by heavy trucks. However, the company recently decided, on Napier as. the port, and it has been awarded a contract for transport by road to

Taihape and then over the primitive “Gentle Annie” road across the Ruahine ranges to Napier. Cartage will begin at four truck trips a day in October and is intended to rise to 26 a day by 1980. The two local authorities controlling this back road on either side of the range — Rangitikei and Hawke’s Bay — as well as the Ministry of Transport and the National Roads Board, are deeply concerned about the proposal. “This is a very tough route, often impassable, with snow in the winter and with some very tight bends. The quality of the road is quite . inadequate for heavy traffic of this nature,” said the Directojof Roading (Mr F. A. Langbein). He estimated that it would cost more than $200,000 to put the road in “decent” order, and at least that much again every year to maintain it. The Roads Board is angry that it was denied the chance to comment on the route before the pulp mill was built and the trucking contract awarded.

Because the firm had intended to rail the product from the area, the board

had commenled only on the roading needs in the vicinity of the mill, said the Chief High ways Engineer (Mr E. J. Burl). Mr Langbein said Rangitikei County was now considering introducing a roading bylaw closing the road, or at least preventing heavy traffic on it. An inspection of the road will be made by the Rangitikei and Hawke’s Bay counties, the board, and the Ministry of Transport. Both the Forest Service, which is supplying the resource, and the Commission for the Envi- ■ ronment, which audited the environmental-impact report, will be advised of the change in plan. Just why the firm should change from rail to road transport is not clear. It might have been unable to reach a satisfactory agreement, on numbers of waggons and price. The choice of road route was dictated by the 150kilometre road-rail restriction. Only “Gentle Annie,” or the much longer, though better roaded, route up to Taupo and then down to Napier, were legal alternatives to movement bv rail.