NEW ORDER ISSUED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20597, 23 June 1930, Page 10

NEW ORDER ISSUED.

RESUMPTION OF TUNNELLING MR. SEMPLE DECIDES. THE POLITICAL ASPECT. [IIY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL REPORTER.] ARAPUNI, Sunday. The Arapuni drama reached the end of another act to-day, an end which proves tho kind of fiasco that has been running its course during the last few days. The action has been this: The conference of the New Zealand Workers' Union in Wellington informed .the late Ministor of Public Works that the exploration tunnel was unsafe for the workers This was without foundation. The tunnellers had no anxiety and no complaint, as they stated in tho Herald of Saturday. Nevertheless, tho Government, always so sensitive of Labour opinion, decided to stop all work. Thus tho tunnellers were struck off the payroll. t The next movo was the arrival at Arapuni of Messrs. Semple, McKeen and Leo Martin, Labour M.P.'s. These gentlemen were conducted over the works on Saturday. Locally it was not believed that they had come only to inspect tho exploration tunnel on behalf of the Government. Their whole attitude was that of men in authority. Mr. Semple's Status. Mr. Semple certainly is a tunneller by profession, but there would have been plenty of excuse for anyone who formed the opinion that ho was present as tho "Minister's off-sider," as a navvy put it, and that he carried far more authority that the ordinary M.P. was proved conclusively to-day, for although the Herald representative was accorded no official infoi'mation he is able to state definitely that the tunnellers will resume their work to-night. Thus the tunnelling was stopped because tho misinformed union officials in Wellington said so and it is being resumed because Mr. Semple says so. He said it was perfectly safe and all the time the men on the job know nothing whatever of the alleged trouble. Obviously the Government is under the whip of the Labour Party and Mr. Semple's visit to Arapuni was puro politics. He is not a geologist and therefore his opinion about the Arapuni problem is valueless, but because a Government that has no mind of its own delegates its authority to a Labour M.P. the order to stop tunnelling work is reversed. Mission at Arapuni. Arapuni is highly amused over the whole affair. As one man said, "Bob Semple seems to be the Minister of Public Works." As is indicated by his published interview in Hamilton on Saturday, he came not only to inspect the tunnel, which proved to be a thousand times safer than some tunnels he himself had worked in, but to inspect the whole scheme, a task that is within the eapa-' city of only qualified engineers and geologists. Obviously having prejudged the scheme, he calls it "a fiasco." This, of course, is politics. He is not alone in making Arapuni a political question, The New Zealand Workers' Union has done so and in this connection it may be remarked that this union, which for its secretary has a man who worked at Arapuni in the days of Armstrong-Whit-worth's contract, has failed to obtain members in Arapuni. Few Union Members. Very few of the workers are members of the union. In discussion with several of them one was presented with the possibility that tho union officials had simply yielded to the common psychological influenco which compels some people to seek the reflected light of a big affair. Another suggestion was that the union was acting under the whip of Labour Party influence. Another was that the local workers might be receiving a jar for not joining the union. The Herald representative threw a wido cast but failed to find anyone on the side of the Labour Party over this question. There is ten times .jnore politics in the whole affair than ahxiety for the truth, and even in the remaining fraction one is inclined to wonder how much is ulterior motive. Obviously none of the critics has a leg to stand on until the geologists speak, and they have not yet spoken. SAFEGUARDS FOR CITY. PLANT FROM OVERSEAS. IMMEDIATE ACTION DESIRABLE. In an effort to make early provision for future power requirements- in the absence of the Arapuni supply, the Auckland Power Board has taken steps through its agents in England to obtain information whether there is any plant available for immediate shipment to New Zealand. Mr. W. J. Holdsworth. chairman of the board, stated on Saturday that the board's action was the outcome of the failure of all attempts to arrange a conference with engineers of tho Public Works Department. "It is known that a supply of electricity cannot be expected from Arapuni for some considerable time," Mr. Holdsworth said. "Tho department does not seem to realiso that there are other considerations, apart from the problems at Arapuni. In tho meantinio tho board is anxious to secure some plant from overseas and this first step has been taken so that Inhere will bo no delay. The nature of the plant will havo to be considered and it will depend on what assistance the Government is prepared to givo." Although tho board felt that it was a Government responsibility to make such provision, it was imperative that immediate action should be taken, Mr. Holdsworth said. The Public Works Department had so far practically ignored the board's requests for a conferenco to discuss the future supply and as a result the board was unable to arrange its coal contracts, not knowing whether they would be for one year or for two years. Something would have to be dono immediately, as King's Wharf station was working right up to its maximum load. Tho board has arranged for a conference to bo held to-morrow with members of Parliament for tho Auckland Province, at which the board's position will be placed before them. Mr. Holdsworth said the conference had been called so that the membors would be familiar with the position as far as the board was concerned when the Arapuni situation was discussed in the House. The; necessity for tho earliest possible action to meet the serious position con sequent upon tho closing down of Arapuni was emphasised in a telegram sent yesterday by the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy as M.P for Eden to the Prime Minister and Minister of Public Works. He said that the whole industrial*life of the city and province requirod to bo safeguarded. The Minister expressed his own opinion that it would be necessary to ihcrease the Auckland board's present over-load capacity of 28,600 ltw. by an additional generating set of 15,000 kw. The yearly average increase in power consumption over the last three years had been 6000 kw., and, if Arapuni wore to remain closed for any longth of time, as was likely to be tho case, this normal increase needed to bo provided for. The additional plant required might cost as much as £150,000 and, since it would probably have to be imported, tho Government and tho Auckland Power Board should arrive at an understanding with the least possible delay.