‘lntelligent’ use of resources urged

Press, 14 November 1981, Page 12

‘lntelligent’ use of resources urged

New Zealand must make intelligent use of all its resources says the National candidate for Lyttelton, Mr Simon Stamers-Smith.

National’s growth programme was about using these resources, he told about 60 people at the Sumner Community Centre.

“Let us use more of our own energy; we have got oil, gas, coal, and water.” he said.

People asked what National had done since 1975 when it became the Government with an inflation rate of 15 per cent and “less unemploymeent than now.” “We have got things going in the right direction,” Mr Stamers-Smith said.

The high cost of oil was “the nigger in the wood, pile” which sucked away New Zealand’s overseas funds. Oil was a wasteful use of overseas funds, hence National’s energy growth plan.

“The Tiwai Point smelter was an experiment. It has worked, you can see that in Invercargill,” Mr StamersSmith said.

During the last few years of the National government farming, horticulture, manufacturing, and fishing had grown. The Government had said to farmers that they had to get stock production up again, and since 1975 sheep

numbers had risen from 55 million to 71 million.

“It did not just happen because farmers said, ‘Let’s have some more sheep’,” he said. “It happened because of Government help to farmers.”

New Zealand now exported more wool, meat, and lamb than it had in the past.

In manufacturing National had brought in export incentives which had helped manufacturers to find markets and sell their products. Fishing had been helped by the selling up of joint ventures and the 200mile fishing zone off the coastline. Joint ventures had been started so New Zealand’s fishermen could benefit by learning from other country’s fishermen. are good off-shore, not too far away from the coast,” he said.

The Government had helped tourism and horticulture.

National’s growth pro- i gramme was all about using > New Zealand’s resources in-1 telligently, otherwise “we j would become a Third World ; country,” Mr Stamers-Smith i said. i The last six years had seen l “some of the most dramatic! changes in any six years of justice,” he said. The reform of' the courts meant that problems could be dealt with more quickly. ‘