TUNNEL WORK STOPPED TO SAVE CEMENT

Chronicle (Levin), 24 May 1946, Page 2

TUNNEL WORK STOPPED TO SAVE CEMENT

-Press Asso.ciatioh

By Telegraph-

; -. WELLINGTON, May. 22. •AS oue inehstire 'td felieve't'hn cement BhOftage Ihe Minis'ter Of Works, "Hou. R. Seiiiple, is-.tenipbrafily stopping tlie relhiing of -the faulty tunnels on the , Turakina railway devialion. This will release 120 -to- -150 tons of - Cement a week for other works. Making this ahuouucethont to a Taranaki Education Iloard clepulalion which aSked tlie Gdvejr-iiment's assistance .for an Urgentlyrneeded scliool building at Stratford, Mr. Semple said lie liad discus^ed the ceineilt problem ' witii the engineering divisioh. and one iu*oposal AoiiM be Carried out. But, ' ' continued tji.e Minister, ' ' we wilj not talte a pound of cement from hydfo-eiectrie deyelopiiient, liecause thatMS "No. 1 priority, We must -pusli tlie .Waikato schetne as ' fast as we •.can*, " ■ A : L Mlty Senip'le said..he wou^d sto'p the reliiuhg of the.- tunnels, on the Turakina railway deviatioa. and the men eniployed couldj be .di verted usefulJy tb plktelayihg hnd otlier-jobs associated with thO. cdmpietion .of .this liiidertaking. Tn- a. subseqtieht disciission it was niade clear that the wlioie oi' the released cement coiild* not *go into Taranaki. * - ; ■ Alr, G. W, Albertson, Buildiiig Controlierj stated that .supplies were bare at Palmerston- North and the position ia pie: Wairarapa was also difficult.