MR SEMPLE'S CASE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25023, 13 October 1944, Page 6

MR SEMPLE'S CASE

REPLY TO CHARGES AVOIDING REPETITION (S.R.) WELLINGTON. Thursday "I will resign my seat tomorrow morning with any member of the Opposition who has challenged me to resign and contest my seat to see what the people think who have put me here for IS years," said the Minister of Works, Mr Semple, replying to the debate on the Turakina and" Fordell Tunnels in the House of Representatives tonight. Mr Semple said he acknowledged responsibility for the administration of his department, but warmly denied responsibility for what had occurred, both 'in the selection of the design and the carrying out of the construction. The Minister said he first became aware of the trouble in September, 1943, He knew nothing about it before then. It had been said that he had inspected the tunnels. He had never inspected them, but had gone there once to settle a dispute and not to examine the work. He had too much to do to be able to spend time in such a way. A Statement Repeated It had been stated that he had tried to place the blame for what had happened in the present case on to the men working in the tunnels. What he had said, and would repeat, was that the work was slummed in some sections. The designs of the tunnels had never been submitted to him. At the time the tunnels were planned there were 300 engineers in the department and 25,000 employees, Mr Semple continued. It could, therefore, not be expected that he should supervise everything done by them and it would have been a physical impossibility for him to tramp round the country looking at every job. No man could give a guarantee that a tunnel was properly constructed unless he watched every shovelful of concrete put into it. "I trusted these men because I had every reason to trust them," said the Minister. "I am not going to allow anyone to condemn the department because a handful of men betrayed the trust I reposed in them." Responsibility Not Shirked Mr Semple said he did not shirk his responsibility. He sent fcfr the chief engineer of the' Public Works Department to make a report on the state of the tunnels. Then he wanted a report from an independent engineer. It took him three months to complete his investigations and report. "I did not tell the House until I had the facts," said the Minister. "I did not want half, but the whole story. The whitewash brush has not been used and the country was given all the facts. When they were they were in my possession I had reported them to the Prime Minister. Whether the member for Rangitikei had asked his question in the House or not I would have made a full statement to the House." Estimates and Costs It was sheer nonsense to suggest as the Opposition members had done that bores should he put down into a prospective tunnel line. Whoever heard of drilling hundreds or thousands of feet through a mountain chain to test the ground for a tunnel? He did not mind "taking the lash" from experts who knew what they were talking about, but not from amateurs lHce the Opposition. 'I he Minister said the only mistake he had made was to trust men who had let him down. He was not responsible for actions which were wicked and reprehensible. He had got three engineers, Mr T. G. Beck, Mr E. R. McKillop, and the chief engineer of railways, Mr H. C. Lusty, to examine the estimates. Their report showed that the original estimate for the concrete lining was £208,820, whereas, if the nature of the country had been properly assessed the estimate should have been £337,820. The actual expenditure on lining was £125,757. That was where the slumming came in. The cost of remedial work and completion of the tunnels was £317,918, making a total cost of £443,675. The cost of putting the tunnels in proper condition would only be just over £IOO,OOO more than the original estimate for that type of country. Steps to Prevent Repetition Continuing. Mr Semple said the Leader of the Opposition had asked what steps were taken to prevent a repetition. Mr Semple said a master job file system had been instituted and a weekly report would be telegraphed in from every job in the Dominion to the Ministry of Works. Special report forms had also been prepared for inspecting engineers, who would have to sign all details of their inspection. He admitted no records had been kept on the tunnel jobs. This was the only job on which there had been such criminal neglect. The Minister also recalled that he had not been Works Minister for nearly three years. He was not shielding behind his former colleague, who had never been informed of the conditions of the tunnels. UNIVERSITY TERM ENDS The third and final term at the Auckland University College ends tomorrow. Examinations.for students taking stage 1 subjects in arts and science degrees begin on Monday and will continue until October 27. More advanced degree examinations will be held early in November. About 550 candidates this year are sitting for the various stages of the B.A. degree, as against 396 last year. The number of overseas candidates now totals about 80. Figures in other subjects also show a general increase on those of last year. The university year was considerably shortened by the late start at the end of March, and the two vacations were cut to two weeks to lengthen the terms. GREY'S AVENUE An emphatic protest against the City Council proposal to close or divert Grey's Avenue was made at the annual meeting of the Automobile Association 'Auckland). The resolution of protest stated that the street was potentially one of the most beautiful in the city and had always been a main traffic outlet for west-bound vehicles. With the increased' motor traffic likely to be using city streets after the war it was essential that as many outlets as possible should be available. Tt was stated that the closing of the street would also involve a delay to fire brigades and greatly increase the fire risk to Queen Street and neighbouring properties.