HON. R. SEMPLE’S WARNING

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 371, 27 February 1937, Page 5

HON. R. SEMPLE’S WARNING

TROUBLE AT CAMP.

SURPRISE VISIT.

Straight Talk To Men About Liquor On The Job.

Press Association—Copyright. Christchurch, Last Night

“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, Minister of Public Works, when making a statement after personally investigating of discontent among men at Claverley, one of the major camps cn the South Islanjd Mai.nl Trunk construction works.

The Minister’s surprise visit to Claverley, accompanied by Public Works and Health Department officials, followed his being shown a statement made by one of the workers at Claverley, Mr. W. Ricalton, who alleged that the men were dissatisfied w'ith the bad sanitation arrangements and with poor pay and were so discontented that only a visit from the Minister would avert trouble. On his return Mr. Semple issued a statement denying the allegations and detailing, steps he had taken to deal witlli exqessiiqe djrlnklng by a minority of the men at Claverley, and with activities by Communists on the job.

Mr. Semple added that he was informed by the engineer that although one man professed to be a miner and was given a job driving a small water tunnel his Work was.' unsatisfactory. He was ordered to finish that job and was transferred 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 inside 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 that other men were not blown to pieces. “I told this man that had I been the engineer in charge I would 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, but said that he had not been given an opportunity to go back and fire it. Case of Bear at Station. “Unfortunately it came to my notice while at the camp that there has been a certain amount of drink carted into the Claverley camp, not by the majority of the men, but by a tew. I was even informed that the man who made the allegations had a case of beer waiting for him and addressed to him at the Parnassus station. I taw the beer myself at the station later, but on the job 1 warned that man that if he took beer on to the site he Would be sacked. There were at least six or seven dozen bottles in tbo case."

Dr. T. Pargeter, senior inspector of health for Canterbury and Westland, who accompanied the Minister, laid that the department In his view had constructed a model convenience. Although the camp was not qu J |le completed, the sanitary arrangements were already suitable and would be more so when the camp Was finished.