‘Early days’ for sale

Press, 25 May 1984, Page 4

‘Early days’ for sale

Greymouth reporter

If the Henderson and Pollard group of companies became involved with Aorangi Forest Industries, Ltd, it would continue the latter’s Greymouth venture, Henderson and Pollard’s managing director, Mr Tony Choyte, said from Auckland yesterday. “However we don’t know what we are looking at,” he said. “We have no information. We offered assistance, but nothing further has been heard.” "If we did get involved, and it’s early days yet, we would continue the opera-

tion on the West Coast,” said Mr Choyte. There was no suggestion that it would be removed from the region.

“Henderson and Pollard has a lot of investment and continued investment on the Coast at present, and employs over 130 persons there already,” he said.

“We have had no opportunity to look at their (Aorangi) figures, and if they don’t want our help, we just wish them the best of luck.”

The secretary of the Westland Timber Workers’ Union, Mr Roy Beadle, said yesterday that he had con-

suited with company executives, and said that the situation appeared bleak.

“It seems to me that everyone outside Aorangi is doing their damnedest to encourage a take-over and it appears a number of outside companies were interested,” he said. The Government’s offer of $30,000 was a “pittance.”

“Even the workers with an offer of $lOOO each have done more. They have sought to protect their jobs and received financial backing. Now the Government comes up with what is virtually nothing,” he said.