"A DIRTY TIME"

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 48, 26 February 1937, Page 10

"A DIRTY TIME"

P;W.D. MALCONTENTS

MINISTER'S WARNING

VISIT TO CAMP

t.By Telegraph.—Press Association.l

CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. "I want to warn wreckers, perjurers, and sabotagers on public works that they are in for a dirty timeifrom me, said-the Minister of Public Works (the 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 Public 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 frpnvthe 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. CHARGE LEFT IN TUNNEL. 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. tlie; man and his mate ■ blown • to-pieces. ..It'.was only a miracle that the. other -'■■ men!were not blown .'to . pieces.'v. ■ "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 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. "I 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.l 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." ■ "A MO»EL VILLAGE." 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 riot quite completed the.sanitary arrangements were already, suitable ttnd: would be more so when the camp was finished.