Govt ‘frustrated’ Odlins plans

Press, 1 September 1982, Page 23

Govt ‘frustrated’ Odlins plans

PA Wellington Odlins, Ltd, wanted to go ahead with a replacement think big project in Nelson — but was being frustrated by the Government, said the managing director, Mr D. C. Hill, at the annual meeting. In response to a shareholder’s query, Mr Hill said: “I don’t have much faith in many of the think big 'projects. We’ve just seen the CSR-Baigent one collapse in Nelson. “So that’s lost. We at Odlins have been trying to produce our own project in Nelson.

“But I must say we're not getting a hell of a lot of support from the Government. Were not holding

back: but the Government is. We’re ready to go.”

The trouble with Odlins’ project was that “we haven’t got quite enough wood. We need more,” Mr Hill said.

Odlins’ project is to manufacture a medium-density fibreboard at Richmond — and in his address, the chairman, Mr L. M. Papps, said that “only a small volume of additional pulp logs is required to supplement the company’s own resources.” Mr Papps said that after the collapse of the CSRBaigent pulpwood project, Odlins made a formal offer to the Minister of Forests (Mr Elworthy) to buy the required logs, which “we had been told by him were available and uncommitted.”

But, the offer was not accepted and the logs were put out to tender. Those tenders were not closing till November 30, he said.

“We expressed our disappointment to the Government at what we regard as a further uniiecessary delay to the establishment of an industry which will provide 73 extra jobs in Nelson, and earn a considerable amount of foreign exchange."

Mr Hill told the shareholder: “We made a formal offer for the CSR-Baigent wood. But the Government doesn't seem interested. We need that wood. “You asked what Odlins’ think big projects were: that is it. We’re being frustrated by Government delays."