Board upset at attack on port facilities

Press, 22 September 1983, Page 8

Board upset at attack on port facilities

The Lyttelton Harbour Board is upset about comments made by the Minister of Energy, Mr Birch, that inadequate port facilities are limiting New Zealand coal exports. Disgruntled members of the board’s port development committee yesterday recommended that the board write to Mr Birch pointing out that Lyttelton is quite capable of handling shipments of export coal. Mr M. J. Dobson told the committee that he was “disturbed” to read Mr Birch’s comments in newspaper reports.

Mr Birch was reported as indicating that the capacity of the buller mines and inadequate port facilities were limiting coal exports.

He was also reported as saying that more coal could not be exported without the slurry pipeline or the West Coast deep-water port.

“We do not appreciate that sort of comment by a Minister of the Crown and it is factually untrue,” Mr Dobson said.

The board, with the help of the Railways, could handle the export of up to two million tonnes of coal a year.

Mr Birch, for some reason, was still pushing for

a slurry method of export. However, importers were “not keen for a lot of New Zealand water” with their coal, Mr Dobson said. The board’s chairman, Captain A. R. Champion, said he agreed that Mr Birch’s comments were not fair to Lyttelton “in any shape or form.” Ice plant Ice-making facilities for Lyttelton fishermen may be sited on the port’s No. 6 wharf. Members of the board yesterday inspected the site, and the port development committee later recommended that an area there be made available for an ice-making plant. The fishermen feel they need a bigger plant so that they can comply with new fishing regulations which will come into force later this year. Meeting with union The executive of the Lyttelton Waterfront Workers’ Union met members of the board yesterday, as a result of a request by the union for such a meeting. The board’s . general manager, Mr lan Brokenshire, said after the meeting that “matters of mutual interest” had been discussed.