DEVONPORT’S PERIL?

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 765, 11 September 1929, Page 6

DEVONPORT’S PERIL?

AMMUNITION DUMP DANGERS QUESTIONS IN HOUSE (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter) PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Tues. Further reference to the danger of the ammunition dump at the naval ba3e at Devonport was made in the House of Representatives this evening when Auckland members raised the point in the discussion of naval estimates.

Mr. A. Harris (Waitemata) traversed the ground already gone over, stressing the loss of 71 acres to the borough in land not rateable, and the consequent loss of £5,500 a year in rates.

Mr. M. J. Savage (Auckland West) concurred with Mr. Harris, saying that the dump should be removed elsewhere.

The Minister of Defence, the Hon. T. M. Wilford: Did the borough come to the ammunition dump or the ammunition dump to the borough? Mr. Savage said that he was not in a position to answer the question, but he did think in either case that the dump should be made to leave the borough. He did not believe that could be done in five minutes but a start should be made immediately to adjust matters. Mr. A. AV. Hall (Hauraki) gave his

support. Replying, Mr. Wilford said that his department wanted to shift the dump when it could find a place to put it. It was searching now. With regard to danger the inspector of explosives, in every report Mr. Wilford had seen, had said that there was no danger to Devonport. Mr. Savage contended that the House could not be expected to accept the Minister’s reply. If the inspector of explosives said that it was safe for the dump to be at Devonport, would he tell why it was not safe to discharge explosives at Auckland? Ships bad to discharge explosives at Motuihi. Island, and then the ammunition was taken to Devonport and through, the streets to the dump. How did those facts square? “I’m positive,” said Mr. Savage, “that the Minister has not answered the question but has brushed it to one side.”

Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne): Why not shift the whole thing to Wellington? Mr. Savage (impatiently): Oh, shift the honourable member to Wellington. He continued that surely the department had not lost its powers of organisation. It could get any island in the Hauraki Gulf. The Minister had not answered the contention of the Devonport Borough that it was carrying a national burden. Mr. H. R. Jenkins (Parnell) suggested that the department use the State-owned island of Tiri as a site for the dump.

Mr. Harris said that he was not sure whether the dump was put in at Devonport before the borough was constituted. He believed that it had been put in about 1885 at the time of the Russian scare. The borough was constituted in 1886. He asked for a subsidy for the borough for the relaying of King Edward Parade, which had been worn out by ammunition traffic.

Mr. Wilford said that the Mayor of Devonport, Mr. E. Aldridge, had been promised by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, that he (Sir Joseph) would visit Devonport and make a statement as to what he would do in speeial cases. Regarding rates, Mr. Wilford would bring the question of the subsidy for the King Edward Parade reconstruction before Cabinet. He said that there were 200 tons only of explosives at Devonport, and not 1,000 tons as had been suggested, and that the fuses were kept separate from the shells. Mr. J. McCombs (Lyttelton): I should think so. Mr. W. J. Jordan (Manukau) was sure it must give the people of Devonport great satisfaction to know that there were 200 tons only of explosives instead of 1,000 tons. (Laughter.) He thought it unwise to have the dump in the middle of the city, so to speak, especially in time of war.