POLICY OF SECRECY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 144, 21 June 1930, Page 10

POLICY OF SECRECY

AN AUCKLAND PROTEST

" ENGINEERS MUZZLED "

(By Telegraph.)

(Special to "The Evening Post.")

AUCKLAND, This Day

In the course of an editorial entitled. "Mysterious Secrecy," to-day's "New Zealand Herald" says: "The muzzling of the engineers at Arapuni q.t first appeared to bo due to no more than an error of judgment on the part of the Minister of Public Works —aii obviously stupid action, but excusable on the part of a novice in Ministerial responsibility confronted with a serious problem within a few weeks of his association with the Department. Subsequent events tend to create tho impression that Mr. Taverner's policy does not justify this innocent interpretation. If the engineers at Arapuni stopped the work, thoy must havo had grounds for their decision that should be stated. If the instructions were given by the Minister upon.his own initiative, he is under an obligation to explain upon whose representations he acted —whether the engineers were consulted, and if not, how he justifies his intervention. Arc the investigations which should be prosecuted without delay being conducted by the engineers, or are they being personally directed by tho Minister, with no better guidanco than irresponsible resolutions by the Workers' Union? Responsible newspapers are denied access to the works. The Minister has announced that he will havo nothing to say until the reports from the engineers and the geologist have been considered ■by the Government. Yet their work has been stopped, the tunnellers have been thrown out of employment, and the whole investigation has been brought to a standstill. Tlie Government cannot complain if the public discerns in this extraordinary situation other motives than zeal for the rehabilitation, of tho Arapuni scheme."