CHARGE LEFT in Tunnel Unfired

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 36, 26 February 1937, Page 4

CHARGE LEFT in Tunnel Unfired

-Press Association.)

TRAGEDY AVERTED Mr Semple^s Scathing Attack* on Sabotagers DRINKING IN CAMP

(By Telegraph-

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. "I want to warn wreckers, perjurers and sabotagers on Public Works that they are in for a dirty time from me," said the Hon. R. Semple when making a statement after personally investigating a.llegations of discontent among the men at Claverley, one of the major camps on the South Island Main Trunk construction' works. The Minister 's surprise visit to Claverley, aceompanied by Pubho Works and Health Department offieials, followed his being shown a statement made by one of the worlcers at Claverley, Mr W. Ricalton, who alleged that the men wero dissatisfied with the bad sanitation arrangements and with the poor pay and were so diiscontented that only a visit from the Minister would avert trouble. On his return Mr Semple issued a statement denying the allegationa and also detailing the steps he had taken to deal with excessive drinktng by a small minority of the men at Claverley and activities by Communists on the job. Mr Semple added that he was informed by an engineer that, although this man professed to be a miner and was given a job driving a small water tunnel, his work was very unsatisfactory. He was ordered to' finish up that job and (was tilinsferred outside to other work at the camp. It was then discovered that this man, when he left the tunnel, had left behind a charge with a detonator attached in the bare face imside the tunnel. Fortunately, the man who followed him saw this before he started to bore, otherwise there could easily have been a disaster and the man and his mate blown to pieces. It was only a miracle the other men were not blown to pieces. "I told this man that, had I been the engineer in charge, I wo»ld have sacked him on the spot," said Mr Semple. "I told him that only his wife and children had saved him. He admitted to the men and to me on the spot that he knew the" charge had been left there, but said that he had not been given an opportunity to go back and fire it. " Unfortunately, it came to my notice while at camp that there has been a certain amount of drink carried into the Claverley camp, not by the majority'of the men but by a few. I was even informed that this man who made the allegations had a case oi beer waiti ing for him and addressed to*him at Parnassus station. I saw the beer myself at the station later, but on the job I warned that man -that if he took the beer oh to the site he would be sacked. There 'were at least six or seven dozen bottles in the case." Mr T. Pargeter, senior Inspector of Health for Canterbury and Westland, who aceompanied the Minister, tsaid that the Department, in his view, had constructed a model village at Claverley with every modern convenience. Although the camp was not quite completed, the sanitary arrangement were already suitable and would be more so when the camp was finished.