MINISTER’S SURPRISE VISIT

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 131, 27 February 1937, Page 13

MINISTER’S SURPRISE VISIT

Warns “Wreckers, Perjurers”

COMPLAINT OF CONDITIONS IN RAILWAY CAMP

By Telegraph—Press Association.

Christchurch, February 26.

“I want to warn wreckers, perjurers and sabotagerg on public works that they are in for a dirty time from me,” said the Minister of Public Works (Hon. R. Semple) when making a statement after personally investigating allegations 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, accompanied by Puolic Works and Health Department officials, followed his being shown a statement made by one of the workers at Claverley who alleged that the men were dissatisfied with the bad sanitary 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 also detailing the steps he had taken to deal with excessive drinking by a small 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 this 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 up 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 blown to pieces. It was only a miracle that the 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. ‘‘l 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 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 few,” the Minister added. ‘‘l was even informed that this man who made the allegations had a case of beer waiting for him and addressed to him at Parnassus station. I saw beer myself at the station later, but on the job I 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 the case.”

Mr. T. Pargeter, senior inspector of Health for Canterbury and Westland, who accompanied the Minister, said 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 arrangements were already suitable and would be more so when the camp was finished.