Safe Air asked to justify fare rise

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 21

Safe Air asked to justify fare rise

PA Wellington Safe Air’s attempt to raise fares to the Chatham Islands hangs in the balance.

After two days of the public hearing, the *Air Services Licensing Authority’s chairman (Mr J. H. O. Tiller) instructed Safe Air’s accountant to appear before it. On the instructions of the Department of Internal Affairs, Safe Air wants to add $2O to the one-way fares from Wellington and Christchurch and 10 per cent to freight rates. The authority has visited the Chatham Islands to hear objections for the first time. Nearly every organised body on the main island, 765 kilometres south-west of Wellington, packed Waitangi’s tiny courthouse to voice protests. The branch president of Federated Farmers, Mr Joseph Tuanui, said the in- " ■

crease in fares would be disastrous for the economy. “We have never had an increase of this nature in the past,” he said. Safe Air is proposing a single fare from Wellington of $B6 and $lOB from Christchurch. Without the rise the Government subsidy is likely to top $250,000 to keep the service flying. The taxpayer pays $BOO,OOO to maintain a shipping service to the islands from Lyttelton and $BO,OOO to keep the meatworks going. “These are not gifts from the New Zealand taxpayer,” Mr Tuanui said. “We owe the New Zealand economy nothing, we more than pay our way.” Chatham Island crayfish, wet-fish, paua and wool exports topped S4M in 1976.

chairman, Mr Alfred Preece, said the fare increases should be met by the Government.

“More than 50 people have left the island in the last 12 months, hard-work-ing people we cannot afford to lose,” he said. Young people, needed to help develop farming and bring fresh blood to the fishing fleet, were leaving, he said.

The owner of the Chatham Islands Packing Company, Mr Reg Wills, said eight fishing-boat skippers aged 40 and under had abandoned the islands in the last four years. “If we lose any more, the crayfishing industry will go down fast,” he said. Other protesters said the increase would put an intolerable burden on the islanders. For the average island family with three children it will cost $756 just to get to Christchurch before starting out on holiday like a mainland family. The secretary of Federated Farmers, Mr Pat Smith, said: “A mainland family can go to Australia for very nearly the same price.” Some complained of frequent booking difficulties and little notification of special flights, particularly on the mainland, Others, including the gun club and the rugby subunion, pressed for group travel rates similar to those offered by Air New Zealand. Safe Air will seek to justify its running costs for the ageing Bristol Freighters on the Chathams run.