Living curbs wanted to deal with energy crisis

Press, 30 November 1978, Page 18

Living curbs wanted to deal with energy crisis

Restrictions on where and Sow people lived had to be rnposed to maintain vital I ispects of the economy, said I Mr D. N. Sheppard, con- ( lulting engineer for the New Zealand Energy Research tnd Development Committee. He was addressing the Chartered Institute of Transport conference in Christthurch. Mr Sheppard said that if restrictions were not im>osed. the cost of transport would rapidly become too j treat for the country and: he community to bear. Transport was not just a •uel consideration. It also in-. rolved materials such as as-t lhalt and concrete for roads, tnd steel for vehicles and oiling stock. New Zealand could lead he way internationally in ’ educing dependancy on

liquid fuels and seeking alternative sources, said Mr ; Sheppard. i Extensive restructuring of i the physical environment in response to energy concerns would be a long, difficult, and expensive process. “We are already in a period of virtually zero growth as a result of extensive emigration, fewer people moving from rural to

urban areas, and restraint on family sizes,” said Mr Sheppard. Unlike man}' countries New Zealand’s entire development had occurred while there were plentiful liquid fuel resources. Wise use of energy and care in planning transport and land use had not been a conscious consideration, he said.