NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 138, 7 March 1921, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

Wellington waterside workers arc starting out to-day on another week of idleness. Their leaders had tho chanco on Saturday to end the trouble, but wasted the opportunity, and so the men and many others 'besides the watereiders are out of work and earning no money. All that is required to set waterfront operations in full swing again is for the Waterside Workers’ Federation to give guarantees for the fair and honest observance of the agreement it entered into with the employers. To every fairminded trades unionist as well as to the public -generally this must seem a small thing to. ask, but apparently those who dominate the Waterside Workers’ Federation baulk at committing themselves even to inn undertaking to carry out their own pledges. If a union will not keep to its agreements then obviously it should be deprived of those privileges which are properly given to encourage legitimate trades unionism. If the present deadlock continues Parliament might well consider this aspect of the matter.

Although always ready to plead hopeless poverty when there is any question of making reparation for the havoc her forces wrought in the late war, Germany in other ways is showing remarkable powers of recovery. . For instance, the "German Shipping Annual,” recently issued, shows that nine German steamship lines are again at work plying to the two Americas (including a service to Mexico), to India, and tho Dutch Indies, to Scandinavia, Cuba, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and even to Antwerp and to England. A remarkable achievement is implied, considering that Germany, after replacing shipping destroyed -by her submarines, was left practically devoid of a mercantile marine. The rapid re-establishment of her maritime enterprise has been made possible, as the chairman of the Cunard Company (Sir Alfred Booth) observed not long ago, partlv by 'blending chartered foreign steamers with the remnant of her own mercantile marine, “partly by an alliance between Germans with experience and no ships and Americans with ships and no experience.” Then, again, as was mentioned in one of Saturday s cablegrams, the German 'Government is paying shipowners an amount in compensation, which, though far short of the value of ships lost or destroyed, is still substantial. It is quite dear, as Sir Alfred Booth has said, that Germany is preparing to return to her old place in the shipping world. Applying herself with the same purposeful energy to the reparation problem, she would have no great difficulty in satisfying the Allied demands, # < *

Statistics of British and foreign shipbuilding during the last quarter of 1920 show a decline in the tonnage under construction. So far as Britush shipyards ! are concerned, the amount of tonnage under construction at the end of December (3,708,916 tons) was less by only 22,000 tons than at the end of the previous quarter, but on. the same basis of comparison there was a decline of 363,000 tons in -the tonnage under construction elsewhere than in Britain. This was wholly due to a drop of 162,000 tons, for the quarter, in the United Slates. In other foreign countries .there was an increase of nearly 100,000 tons for the same period. All the foregoing figures relate to tonnage under construction. The tonnage launched from British slips during the December quarter was about 580,000 tons, the highest output on record. It is expected that the output of new shipping will diminish in the near future, however, and in this connection it is noted that the total tonnage of vessels commenced in British yards during ('he December quar. ter (506,353 tone) is 139,000 tons Itelow the average of tho previous six quarters.

The decision of the Executive to commute the death sentence in the case oi the man Matthews to one of imprisonment for life has provoked ft strong I protest from one of the Christchurch 'papers. It is contended that, t’he medical evidence nt the trial where the witnesses were closely cross-examined end the failure of the jury to make any re'commendation in the prisoner’s favour, as well as the whole circumstances of the m/irder and the actions of Matthews, suppori: the verdict of t’he Court, ami that that verdict, fthould not have been lent, aside on the grounds -given by the Minister of Justice. Incidentally it. is

pointed out that though Ihe decision of the Executive implies that Matthews should be confined in a nienihi hospital he is to be kept in gaol for life. There can be little doubt that Matthews is a criminal of the worst type, and that tho verdict! of the jury was fully supported by tho evidence. The Minister of Justice takes pains to make it clear that tho Executive had no doubt that t!he verdict was a just one, and he also seeks to soften any possible protest that might be made over the decision to modify t!he sentence by suggesting that Matdhews is not likely to live long. In the course it has taken CabTiret' has incurred a grave responsibility. * * * *

Figures of Imperial migration cabled last week show that nearly twice as many emigrants left the Unitied Kingdom last year as in 1919, and that a fairly satisfactory proportion of tne total number sought new homes in the Dominions. So far as the immediate future is concerned the problems of inter-imperial migration are likely to be complicated by the more or less unfavourable conditions which exist in most of the Dominions as well as in Great Britain. The difficulties thus raised, however, are of a temporary character and considerable interest attaches to the extended measures of as. sistance to emigrants which are ail present being considered by the British Government. There has been . some talk of relieving the pressure of unemployment in the United Kingdom by emigration, but inquiries lately instituted by the “Morning Post” elicited the in. formation that there was not the remotest prospect of anything being done in this matter before the Imperial Conference meets in June this year. It was added, however, that the scheme would probably take the form of extending no civilians the policy under which ex-Service men and women and their dependants are granted free passages to the DoHUnions, provided their applications are approved by the official representatives in London of these Dominions. Colonel Amery, Under-Secretary for the Colonies, has denied emphatically thal there is any idea of promoting emigration to the Dominions except after consultatidu with the Dominion Governments and with their concurrence end co-oporatior.