AIRPORT FOR SOUTH CANTERBURY

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23278, 14 August 1945, Page 4

AIRPORT FOR SOUTH CANTERBURY

Borough Council’s Attitude Reply To Chamber Of Commerce “This Council has never been discourteous to anybody and the suggestion of our discourtesy is unjustified,’’ commented the Mayer (Mr A. E. S. Hanan) when the letter of the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce on the subject of an airport for the district was considered by the Timaru Borough Council last evening. The Chamber’s letter, which was their second one on the airport issue, was published in “The Timaru Herald” on Saturday. Commending subsidiary organisations which took an interest in the affairs of the town, Cr. A. S. Kinsman said that the Chamber of Commerce had been interested in the welfare of the airport at Saltwater Creek for a number of years. Perhaps the Council could have framed a different reply to the Chamber than was done in the Council’s letter. It could have been explained that in six months' time representatives from all of the local bodies and public organisations in South Canterbury would be assembled again to hear from those in authority on the subject. The Council had waited 10 years and there was little wonder that some people were nervous about the success of the airport at Saltwater Creek. The Council could have thanked the Chamber for its interest, but asked the Chamber to be patient until the conference of local bodies. Then the Chamber would not have felt that the Council was unkind or disrespectful. The Mayor: We are waiting for the Minister of Works (the Hon. R. Semple) to accept the Council’s invitation to attend a conference in Timaru. We informed the Chamber of this and we cannot do any more at present. “We recognise, after all, that the Public Works Department accepts very little responsibility for the airport at the Creek,” continued Cr. Kinsman, “and neither does the Council. We are in a deadlock. Nobody knows whose responsibilty the airport is. A farmer occupying land adjacent to the airport nays rent of £1 an acre. As a result of the Creek outlet not functioning his land has been covered by water and two crops in succession have been destroyed. He approached the Council for redress and the Council referred him to the Public Works Department. When he applied to the P.W.D. he was referred back to the Council. We do not know where we are.”

“I agree,” said Cr. W. L. Richards. “We are certainly in a deadlock. The head engineer of the P.W.D. (Mr W. L. / Newnham) said that few people realised that the Saltwater Creek airport would be required for airlines in the future.

Charges Denied “The Chamber accuses us of equivocation and procrastination,” Cr. Richards continued. “That we are deliberately out to deceive the Chamber is a wrong assumption; procrastination is not applicable to us. May I ask what the charge of top-dressing concerns? It is irrelevant to the issue. We may need the Creek area as a sports ground in the future. If the Minister says that South Canterbury will be a port of call for airlines we must first ascertain if the Creek airport is suitable for their planes. If not we will go out with the Chamber and build a suitable airport somewhere else. “If the person who wrote this letter for the Chamber cannot consult a dictionary beforehand to learn the meaning of the words he uses,” added Cr. Richards, “I will get one of the boys from the Technical College to draft one for him. The writer was obviously ignorant of the meaning of the words ‘equivocation’ and ‘procrastination,’ which certainly do not, and never have, applied to this Council.” Tire Mayor: We will call a conference of all interested when the Minister is here. Cr. Kinsman: If the Chamber were told that, they should be satisfied. “They’re not throwing bricks,” said Cr. E. J. Ellis. “The Chamber is out to help the town. Although their ideas are badly expressed in this letter to the Council their intentions are good.” The Mayor: No one doubts that. “The responsibility for an airport for South Canterbury rests with the Government,” declared Cr. F. A. Hilton. “If the airlines are going to be nationalised then airports will be the concern of the Government, not the Council or the Chamber.” Ct. Kinsman: We may get back from the Government some of the money we have spent at Saltwater Creek! It was decided that the Mayor and the Town Clerk (Mr J. M. Jenkins) should inform the Chamber of the pending conference during Mr Semple’s visit.