Three at meeting

Press, 24 September 1980, Page 6

Three at meeting

Three members of the pub-, lie attended a meeting last, evening addressed by the four Citizens candidates fori the Pegasus Ward of the Christchurch City Council in the local body elections. Invitations had been sent to 800 households in the area. One of the candidates, Mr R. Price, said that of the 23.000 eligible voters in the area, only 600 voted in the last election. Because of the small turn-out, at last evening’s meeting few voters would know who they were voting for.

The three other Citizens candidates for the Pegasus Ward (Mr P. D. Dunbar. Mrs M. E. Searle, and Mr T. G. Downey), the candidate for

the Christchurch Transport! Board (Mrs C. Evans), and the candidate for the Christchurch Drainage Board (Mr Bert Brickie) also addressed the meeting. The Mayor of Christchurch (Mr Hamish Hay) told the meeting that the Christchurch City Council could not afford to “go it alone” in the fight to extend the runway at Christchurch Airport. The best way to get Government approval for the runway extensions was to encourage pressure from overseas airlines tourist companies. Primary producers and manufacturers. Mr Hay said that the Labour mayoral candidate, Mrs Mollie Clark would not announce her policy on the air-

port runway extensions until this evening. But he suspected she would say that the council should go it alone and buy out the Government's share in the airport. “If she does. I hope she will say where the money will come from,” Mr Hay said.

Mr Dunbar, a former City councillor, told the meeting that the Halswell quarry could be used as a landfill site rather than the Bexley, tip. When the Haytons Road transfer station was completed it would be “natural” that refuse would be taken to the Bexlev tip, he said. But the Halswell quarry would be a suitable alternative because the area could be sealed and dumping would not pollute water supplies.