MR SEMPLE'S INCONSISTENT STATEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23204, 31 May 1937, Page 7

MR SEMPLE'S INCONSISTENT STATEMENTS

10 THE EDITOR

Sir,—With your permission I would like to answer a letter from Mr Angus M'Donald in your issue of May 14. He accuses me of fabrication and loss, .of memory; the latter he rather despicably attributes to physical disability. There is more in Mr M'Donald's attack on my veracity than meets the "eye. Whatever slight disability I may suffer from, I still remember that, during a,recent visit to Dunedin to interview the Minister of Lands, just prior to my letter to which he takes exception, he met .me in the street. After complaining that he had been victimised at the Haast Pass works, until he was forced to leave and that he had later been again victimised by being compelled to work long hours on a station where he obtained employment, he suggested that I should write to Mr Semple and explain how he and others were being victimised on the public works and to state that Mr Bodkin's influence with the staff was responsible for all the trouble. While refusing to accede to Mr M'Donald's request, I suggested that he should himself write to Mr Semple. I also mentioned that if his accusations were correct I failed to see why his union comrades at the Haast Pass works did not take the matter up. Apparently he partly carried out my suggestion, but instead of writing direct to Mr Semple. he wrote a rambling letter to the Labour paper, the Standard, a cutting of which I am enclosing to you. If true, the accusations he makes against the Public Works Department's officials only go to prove that my contention concerning Mr Semple's inconsistency is correct, as the Minister has publicly stated that any engineer guilty of victimising a •worker for his political activities would be presented with a pair of running shoes. It would seem. Sir, that Mr M'Donald's attack on me is to placate the Minister in case his accusations of victimisation were, on examination, found to be nothing but the fabrication of a disgruntled worker. The Minister uses harsher language for this type of person. During the last six years dozens of men have interviewed me at my residence in connection with Labour matters, and it is quite conceivable that Mr M'Donald and myself did have a conversation regarding the subjects he mentioned with the exception of his remarks regarding the Homer tunnel and the Fraser River dam. My opinion of these projects, especially the latter, are very well known locally and to the general public per medium of your columns, and has been expressed in letters to the Minister of Lands. Mr' M'Donald asserts that I was enthusiastic as the result of my interviews with Ministers. The following extract from a letter in the Otago Daily Times will show that, being of a trusting nature, I had reason to be enthusiastic:— "I was assured by both Mr Semple and Mr Webb, especially the Minister of Public Works, that no decision would be made for supplying the electric power necessary for these schemes" [West Coast dredges, etc.] " until they had personally inspected the Hawea-Wanaka proposal." Since then the Minister of Public Works has been in the district twice, and just recently the Minister of Mines (Mr Webb) was here, but neither inspected this proposal. When a Minister departs from his word I am like many others, not so enthusiastic. Lastly, Mr M'Donald asserts that my, vapourings will only be taken at their face value by all intelligent readers. Judging from the amount of notice Mr M'Donald has taken of them I presume he does not include himself amongst the intelligent readers.—l am. etc., L. L. Taylor-Cannon. Alexandca, May 28.