MINISTER WARNS WORKERS

Southland Times, Issue 24338, 20 January 1941, Page 6

MINISTER WARNS WORKERS

Men On Unproductive Jobs HINT OF COMPULSORY TRANSFER (Special to The Times) CHRISTCHURCH, January 18. “If working men possess any intestinal fortitude they will surely go and help towards the country’s communal wealth, rather than scrounge on public money doing jobs in the city that are unproductive,” said the Minister of National Service, the Hon. R. Semple, discussing the shortage of workers for irrigation schemes. “There are 1800 men in the Christchurch area on non-productive work, and to them I make this appeal to do something worth while for the nation’s benefit, while their fellow-men are risking their lives in the field. If they do not do it voluntarily, as they ought, then they will be made to do so. I say that as Minister of National Service, and I say it with emphasis. I could place 400 men at once in jobs worth while which would create assets.” The Minister was speaking of the effect that seasonal work and the entry of men into camps was having on progress on the irrigation projects in Canterbury, which he inspected this week. SHORTAGE ON MAJOR SCHEMES “The work is not going forward as rapidly as I would like it to, realizing its value,” Mr Semple said. War conditions had brought about a complete shortage of labour, and the department could do with 200 men tomorrow for irrigation works. The question of concentrating on the work the men available in the country would be taken up when he returned to Wellington. To say that he wished for greater progress did not mean that a wonderful job had not been done. “The progress on the Downs water supply scheme has been phenomenal,” he said, “but the work would have continued even faster had there not been delays through the difficulty in securing pipes. The scheme is designed to supply water for domestic and stock purposes over an area of 156,000 acres in the Cave, Sutherlands, Claremont and Pleasant Point districts in South Canterbury.” WORK WEIL ADVANCED On the Rangitata irrigation works j the total excavation yardage for the ' job was 3,800,000. More than 2,800,000 of this was now completed. Work on the whole scheme was well advanced. The Minister added that the Ashbur-ton-Lyndhurst scheme was 90 per cent, complete, and would enable water to be supplied to 63,000 acres when the main race was completed. The May-field-Hinds project, designed to water 104,000 acres of the driest land in Canterbury, was about 30 per cent, complete, the shortage of labour and material having a big effect in the delay on this job.