MANGAHAO WORKS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 22, 21 October 1919, Page 8

MANGAHAO WORKS

SOME MISLEADING STATEMENTS

REPLY OF THE MINISTER

Some statements by Mr. Helyer, Labour candidate for the Munar.atu seat, regarding the Mangahao works, wcro mentioned in the iiouse of iteprescntatives last evening. Mr. \V. H. Field asked the Minister of Public "Works whether his attention had been drawn to Home of the statements made by Mr. Helyer at a meeting addressed by lum at Foxton. Mr, Ilelyer, it 'ippsarcd, had stated that there were only ten men 011 the works on a recent dale when lie lwd visited the works, and these wer.e all that wero left of two thousand men who had como to the works and found the conditions so bud that they could not live there. Mr. Ilelyer painted a very ugly picture of the living conditions of the men employed there. ' Sir William Eraser said that he had seen the statements of Mr. Helyer, and ha kid at once asked his officers for a report concerning theiu. Mr. ILelyer's statement happened to be incorrect in nil particulars except one. The facts iibout the number of men employed were as follow:—For tho week ending September (r, the number of men 011 the works im.i 11, September 13 42, Septemlwr 20 •W. September 27 19, October -1 40, October 11 31, October 18 (Ijst Saturday) 47. Mr. Wilford: lie was only three hundred per cent. out. Sir William Fraser raid that it nppni.red from the figures given that tho number of men on the work? for the vast few weeks had averaged about forty. Tho origin of Die Htory was no doubt, that Mr. Helyer had visited the Shannon end of tho works, and had there found ten men at work. TTe had not gone over tho ridge to the Mangahao side, where the remainder of the men were employed. The point 011 which Mr. Tlef-yer happened to be right was that, in respect of the living conditions at the camiw, for these unfortunately were not all that could bo desired. The Minister said that somo weeks ani ho had palled for lenders for timber for the erection of huts, a cookhouse. and a largo hall for the men. but the only tender receive'] had been for such a. uric that he could not pay it. However, he had bad In instruct his officers that the timber to house the men must be obtained at whatever cost, and this timber wou"d soon be 011 the works. But the timber renin'red for all the works, for there would be a great quantity of it needed, could not be carted over the roads and delivered except nt great cost, and a mill was being set up irt the d : «lriet to sutmlv the timber rernr'red. The bad conditions under which Pie men had had to live for tile past six wenks had been largsly due to the raii'v weather that hrul lioen experienced ill the district. Miv Ilelyr had made a serious mistake *so when he sard that 2WD men had come to the works and left sine? they lind ten in operation. 'The actual number was 2(10. It was not surprising that all the men going out to the works found that the conditions there wero not such as they were prepared to put up with, and but for this there might be many more, men employed there to-day. There was work for hundreds more men if Ihoy cared to take it. Mr. INyer's statement was absolutely misleading and incorrect. The House might bo Satisfied that no f,rnlt was att.'"'biila,blo to his officers of the Public Works Denartment. It was to be hoped that now tlie weather was ironroving there wou':d b? nlenty of men offering for the works. When Ihe men were available tlie real work, that of building the dam and cutting the tunnel, would be. commenced.