Proposed new smelter

Press, 25 August 1980, Page 16

Proposed new smelter

Sir, —Professor Van Moeseke, of Otago University, studied the Government’s proposal for a second aluminium smelter, using so-called surplus power, and published his findings in an economics discussion. paper, later also publishing the-sources of his basic premises. He concluded that the project would be economic disaster. Dr Geof-

frey Bertram, development economics lecturer at Victoria University ’of Wellington and Mr Keith Johnston, Inner City Ministry, Wellington, working on national development strategies, published a paper entitled “Where has all the power gone?” in the August issue of New Zealand Engineering, journal of the New Zealand Institution of Engineers, concluding that soon there will be no surplus. These researchers used logical argument and quoted sources inspiring confidence in their conclusions. In' rebuttal Mr Birch, the Minister of Energy, only made unfounded assertions unworthy of a professional man. Can it be that the Government has no adequate answers but its hand is forced by our Swiss mortgagees?—Yours, etc.,

H. G, ROYDS. i August 21, 1980.