Lighthouses plan defended

Press, 16 July 1980, Page 2

Lighthouses plan defended

PA/ Wellington The automation .‘.of -lighthouses would neither promise navigation nor mat; erially affect maritime:- safe? ty, said the Minister of-State Services (Mr ; yesterday. He was reaffirming the Government’s i rejecion of a call for. a- public inquiry into the de-manning of lighthouses. ■ In a joint statement with the /Minister of Transport (Mr McLachlan),- Mr Thomson said the concern about the de-manning voiced by the Public Service Association on Tuesday could be resolved by discussion with the State-Services Commission- and the Ministry of Transport. Mr Thomson said the Government recognised that the presence of lighthouse keepers could occasionally meet a particular need in wider search and rescue functions but it had to have regard to their; adequacy in this role and the economic and social costs.

“There must be some doubt- as to the effectiveness, and importance of this wider service ..when it is

considered that there are only 17 manned lighthouses on a coastline , of 700Qkm,” he said. . " -.On purely . economic grounds automation offered substantial savings. Initial costs would be recovered after two or three years, and eventually would be’ about $500,000 a year. ... . Mr Thomson said the automation programme merely continued what had been happening since the 19205. At that time New Zealand had 35 manned lighthouses; if‘how had 17. “Automation of lights is extensive overseas, and automatic lighthouses are the norm rather than the exception in New Zealand. Of a total of 130 lighthouses in this country, 113 are automatic,” he said. •