JUSTIFICATION FOR DISMISSAL

Southland Times, Issue 24115, 2 May 1940, Page 6

JUSTIFICATION FOR DISMISSAL

ACTION OF MR SEMPLE ENDORSED

(United Press Association)

WELLINGTON, May 1,

Endorsement of the action of the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple) in dismissing one of the men on the Haast Pass job is forthcoming from the national president of the New Zealand Workers’ Union, Mr R. Eddy, and the national secretary, Mr Arthur Cook in a letter to the Minister. The letter states that, having previously received the Minister’s assurance that no workman would be sacked because he held political opinions different from those of the Minister, the writers had availed themselves of Mr Semple’s invitation to peruse the documentary evidence held by him and which, he stated, had justified him in taking the action he did at Haast Pass. The writers expressed amazement at the contents of the document held by the Minister, and admitted that Mr Semple had sufficient evidence justifying him in taking the action he did. “The evidence disclosed, states the letter, “that more time was spent by certain individuals on propaganda of a disruptive kind than on their work. In the circumstances no self-respecting Minister of the Crown could justify the continuation of conditions that must ultimately have led to the waste of public money. That would amount to public scandal. The fact that the Minister’s action received the endorsement of practically the whole of the men on the job showed that they were heartily sick of the whole affair and welcomed the clean-up,”