NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 298, 12 September 1919, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY

If they study their own interests and the interests of returned soldiers generally, those members of the R.S.A. who attend to-night's meeting at tho Town Hall wilt not allow themselves, to be stampeded into any hasty or ill-considered action such as that which developed out of the meeting earlier in the week. The problems arising 'out of tho repatriation of returned soldiers are not to be settled by wild talk and equally wild demands fathered by glib \ young men who plainly have given little serious thought to the full effect of their proposals.. A mistake was made at Tuesday night's meeting in going blindly for the tempting L bait dangled before the members of the association by tho proposer of the £150 gratuity scheme. Whether it was practicable or not, how far it might react to the detriment of returned soldiers in other directions, was not taken seriously eration by the majority of those present. They would have been wiser to have encouraged free and dispassionate discussion before coming to a decision, and if tbey profit by tho experience they will sec that at tonight's meeting all sides receive a full and fair hearing.. If the proposals brought forward avo reasonable there can bo no ground )foi shirking criticism. If they arc unreasonable or unwisG uio fact will not be obscured by howling clown those who point out their weakness. There are men of experience and sound judgment in the ranks of the U.S.A., men who have already had some insight into the many and varied problems associated with the task- of restoring returned soldiers to civilian life under the best possible conditions. Their opinions should provo a valuable guide to those men who arc ready to approach the questions raised with open minds and a duo sense of responsibility. W I ff * Q Demands for improved suburban railway services made in tho House of Representatives yesterday will meet with warm approval from suburban residents in the vicinity of Wellington. On the Manawatu line the service is especially bad, while residents in the Hutt Valley have also grounds for grievance When Snt Joseph Ward intimated his readiness to spend "thousands and thousands" on suburban train services he hardly created the effect expected Ono has grown so accustomed these days to find him talking in millions and millions that mere thousands sink into insignificance. But the point that really is worth the serious attention of the new Minister op Railways is the fact that tho grievance appears to extend to suburban railway users from one end of the country to tho other. The fact that for the moment the conditions arc exceptional, owing to the coal shortage, does not

affect the broad issue raised. Cheap and good housing for city people is, at any rate in the ease of I Wellington, to be most easily attained through encouraging the movement towards the suburbs, and the State railways are one of the means by which this can be done. Mb. Wright hit the nail on the head when he urged that the railways should be used to pioneer the way and to stimulate, instead of lagging behind, the movements of population and industry.

The right note in regard to hydroelectric development was struck by Sir William. Frasee sn what ho had to say on the subject to the South Island deputation which interviewed Ministers yesterday. As he justly observed, there need be no hesitation in spending millions in harnessing ■water-power when a highly profitable return is assured. It is self-evident thac in the conditions bearing on coal supply here and in other countries water-power is a priceless asset which, in the interests of the Dominion cannot too soon be developed on the scale that will make it freely available in furtherance of industry and product tiou. The attitude taken by the Minister presumably means that he will lose no opportunity of expediting what, work is immediately possible at Mangahao and other sources and forwarding plans for more extensive operations to be' undertaken as soon as the body of labour at present available can be increased by immigration. He could not better demonstrate that he is.', as he said yesterday, in 'earnest about water-power development than by taking immediate steps to set up the advisory board which he [considers ought to be established to assist the Minister in conducting the enterprise, on business lines. Ii anything, he insisted a little too much on the necessity of keeping "the whole business under the control of the Minister." _ Ultimatecontrol and the determination of policy questions must, of course, rest with the Minister and Parliament, but provided the proposed board were composed of experts of the right calibre it would be sound procedure- to give it comprehensive powers in regard both to the hutial development of water-power and the.subsequent control of the enterprise. It is of particular importance that.such a board, if it were properly constituted, would be able to render important service in devising measures to secure the speediest and most effective development of hydro-electric energy that circumstances will permit. :•

The position in which the country is placed as a result of the action of the coal workers in deliberately restricting the output from the mines is clearly brought out in a letter addressed -b,v the secretary of the Mine Owners'. Association to the Prime Minister. Mr. Pryor slates that his ' association consider? it inadvisable to hold a further conference with the Miners' Federation! and further, that it is of opinion that it will best consider the interests of the Dominion by keeping the mines open and increasing the price of coal to such an amount as will enable each mino to carry on. The prospects thus opened are manifestly uninviting, but the action of the Mine Owners' Association will bo justified provided it invites and courts investigation by the Board of Trade or 'such other authority as tho Government may appoint to' ascertain whether increases made or to be made are necessary and justified. It obviously would be a waste of time to undertake further negotiations with the miners when they are so obviously bent on'reducing the whole community to submission by "direct action." Reducing the output tf coal'by a third, and makinrr a bis increase in price inevitable, they are deliberately condemning tlie .country to a continuance of the railway restrictions and other■'disability under, which, it has-suffer-ed heavily in recent months.