NO LIQUOR OR COMMUNISTS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22376, 13 April 1938, Page 12

NO LIQUOR OR COMMUNISTS

CLEAN OUT OF STATE

CAMPS

FIFTEEN OFFENDERS RECENTLY

DISMISSED

“For the first time in their history, the constructional camps of New Zealand, I am glad to say, are free from booze,” said the Hon. R. Semple (Minister for Public Works) in an interview yesterday. There might be individual cases throughout the country where liquor was still finding its way into the camps, the Minister admitted, but as soon as a whisper of offences against the rules was heard full investigations were made. “And when we catch those responsible, they have to look for other jobs,” said Mr Semple. “Only recently 15 men on the Plimmerton Paekakariki road were found guilty of bringing liquor into a camp and they were discharged on the spfi. We are cleaning out the camps and removing from them the opprobium of being booze-dens and gamblingdens.” ' The dismissal of men with Communistic activities was also mentioned by the Minister, Very little trouble was now being met from the Communists, he said, because most of them had been weeded out and fired out. He wanted the men to go on to the jobs to give service, not to play the fool. He would not stand for disruptive, activity in the camps, at every one of which he visited he made inquiries from the engineers as to disaffection among the men. , , “If the men have a legitimate grievance, we will go all the distance to put it right.” said Mr Semple, The men could make their complaints through the union to the engineer, through him to the District Engineer and, as the last avenue of redress, to the Minister. There was activity in every part of the country, said Mr Semple, and the men were happy, contented, and pulling their weight.