Contributions of Officers and Men.

“I could have done nothing in my capacity as Minister of Public Works if I had not had with me engineers equal to any in the world, and men under them who can apply their hands and brains to any problem,” stated Mr. Semple.

“I have seen people look sidewise when I have made this statement, but I say that one of New Zealand's greatest faults is lack of confidence in her own people. Any man with a string of letters behind his name can get credit in this country, so long as he comes from abroad. I want to tell you that I have been under engineers in other countries, underground and on top of the ground, and I will say that the engineers in New Zealand measure up to the best of those in other countries. Your New Zealand workers also are equal to anything in the world, if you only give them encouragement.” (Applause.)

“Some mention has been made of the other end of the line. I wish to say that we are speeding up construction as much as we can,” continued the Minister. “The tunnels are the big problem, of course, but now we have the right equipment and the men trained for their special tasks, we are driving underground faster than it has ever been done in this country. You cannot drive tunnels as fast as you like, of course, when you have only two faces to work on.

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“No time is being lost on that job, I assure you, and I hope that I live to take part in the opening of the Wairoa-Gisborne section of the railway, and in handing it, too, over to the Hon. D. G. Sullivan to operate for your benefit and the benefit of the Dominion.”