WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 April 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Reduction of Railway Serivces-

A Chorus of Protest.

(Our Special Correspondent.)

Wellington, April 2 The chorus of protest against the Government’s proposal* for the reduction o f railway services is even louder than the Minister mediated it would be. No great objection is raised againßt the discontinuance of the second expressc-B or the stoppage of excursion trains or the removal of dining cars. These economies will occasion a little inconvenience to regular travellers and to a certain number of holiday makers, but they will not seriously interfere with the social life and bueine s arrangements of the com-

munity. But the cutting ofi of the suburban trains and what are known as the troop trains will inflict a real hardship upon a large number of civilians and upon the soldiers in camp at Trentham and FeatherstoD. A few years ago the Government extended the suburban services around Wellington and Auckland in the hope of inducing workers and others to make homes for themselves away from the discomforts of a crowded city, and now the reversal of this policy is threatening to leave the people who took advantage of the facilities with the homes, but without the cheap aud convenient means of reaching them. THE SOLDIERS’ CASE But just at the moment the soldiers face to face with isolation at Trentham or Feathereton are receiving even more sympathy than are the workers lured into the country by the promise of low fares and frequent trains. A □amber of officers BDd men, anonymously, of course, have ftxpresaed themselves very strongly on the subject aud that they have a real grievance may be judged from the fact that the '‘Dominion,” which does not lightly question the infallibility of the National Government, takes up the cudgels on their behalf this morning,

■‘lt is right,” it says, afler reciting the facts, “that the general public should be asked to put up with some inconvenience in the direction proposed, but it is entirely wrong to deprive our soldiers of repsonable facilities of recreation aud of meeting friends and relatives during their few weeks’ stay in New Zialand prior to leaving for the fighting line.” Public indignation at this part of the scheme is being increased by the announcement that Easter leave is to be withheld from the men of the Twentyseventh Reinforcements on account of no rollirg stock being available for their conveyance from oimp daring the holidays. MAINTENANCE OF PRODUCTION.

No one here with a proper sense of responsibility dissents from the statement of the Acting Prime Minister that "at all h>z rds we must keep up onr reinforcements,” but there is a very general feeling strengthened by a statement made by Mr Bonar Law and appearing in the cable messages this morniog side by side with James Allen’s assertion, that food production is at least as important as getting soldiers. It is recognised that the National Efficiency Board is doing excellent work, but it was constituted just about two years later than it should have been, and so far the farmers who are calling out for labour are obtaining no relief from its efforts, Sir James’ picture of a farmer driving a plough team and nursing his baby at the same time is admitted to be very admirable in every way, but it is pointed out by practical men that the producer compelled to divide bis attention between agricultural and domestic work in this way cannot be expected to get the best results from his land,

They suggest that the Efficiency Board should furnish an interim report upon the labour question at once and that the Government should take immediate steps to repair any ascertained deficiency either by exempting farm-workers, from military service or by organising volunteers to take their places in civiliau employment. THE GO-SLOW POLICY. The Hon A. M. Myers, the Minister of Munitions, who is in charge of the Coal Diatribution Department as well as a score of other offices entailing a vast amount of personsl effort and supervision, is emphasising the remarks made by the Chairman of the Military Aopeal Board at Westport on Saturday.: The Minister is in fall sympathy with the desire of the men to improve their standard of living and with this end in view he wishes to keep wages at the highest possible.level; but he regards “ the ignoble and go-slow policy ” as the most certain means of defeating their aspirations. To win the war and to establish satisfactory conditions after the war, the nation must continue without ceasiDg to increase its efficiency and its production, fortifying itself at every point, and to do this there must be unity and goodwill between the people, a great cooperative effort to achieve quickly and completely the victory which mnet come in the end, bat which will be immeasurably the more valuable for •very day by which it is hastened.