WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 April 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

The Miners' Strike

Ministers intervene

(Oar Special Correspondent.)

Wellington, April 13

As a remit of repif-ssuiations made to the Cabirefc ysstodny the Acriog Prime Minister and the Minister of Mines left for Westport last night to investigate the conditions prevailing on the West Coast. It is reported here that many of the men would welcome any reasonable excuse for re* turning to work and if Sir James Allen and Mr MacDonald find them in that frame of mind they will place no difficulty in the way of their taking up their tools again. But the MinieUra are not going to tr.fle with the position, The question of conscription will not be discussed, The mines have to be worked and the Government wishes them to be worked under entirely satisfactory conditions ; but it will not allow the men to dictate the terms. This much has boen made perfectly plain and the attLu.de of the Government has the full approval of the public. If the miners had any real griev* anee they made an agregioua blander in associating their protest with a declaration against military service. The people of New Zinland are not going to b 8 deterred at this time of day by tbe sophistries of a handful of wrong-headed agitators from discharging their obvious duty to the Empire. Tbe whole subject will be open for review after tbe war, but till the Germans are decisively beaten there must be no slackening in the Dominion’s effort. LAND FOR SOLDIERS Just how far Mr G. R. Sykes in discussing soldier settlement is justified in saying ‘‘the people of Wairarapa are out to see to it that holders of suitable land for subdivision are made to do their duty” only time can tell ; but there is a growing feeling throughout the North Island that the Government ought to be displaying some of tbe zeal and vigilance the member for Mastarton attributes to the electors of his own district.

In normal times the land question is the most controversial of all the problems that divide the politicial parties and Mr Sykes himself—if each matters may be mentioned at such a time as this—owes his seat in Parliament mainly to his espousal of a policy differing widely from the one he is now proclaiming. But politicians of all colours have had their eyes opened by the conditions created by the war and are beginning to see that both the salvation of the returned soldier and the salvation of the country lie aiong the road that leads to close settlement and increased production. This be ; ng the cese the party leaders associated in the National Cabinet ought to have no difficulty in devising a system of land settlement which would be acceptable to the great majority of their followers and go a long way towards satisfying the orying needs of the^country. THE DOMINION’S EXPORTS.

The figures concerning the exports of the Dominion, prepared by the Government Statistician, throw some instructive light on these questions of settlement and production. The monthly returns showing large inoteases in tbe values of the exports are apt to convoy a wrong impression of the country’* progress in this direction.

The casual reader sees that the exports for the twelve months ended February 28, 1916, were nearly two million sterling more valuable than those for tbe twelve months ended February 28, 1917, and bis heart swells with pride over what he conceives to be proof of a great national expansion.

But a closer examination would allow him that the expansion was in the prices, not in the volume of products. The exports of wool, for instance, actually declined between the two periods by 39 million pounds, of mutton by 146,000 carcases, of lamb carcases, of tallow by 6,000 tone and of butter by 85,000 hundredweight. There may be compensations in the cases ot sheep and lambs in the conserved flocks, but the faot remains that the Dominion, with all its new land brought into cultivation and its huge expeoditure upon public works has not materially increased its output for Beveral years. The only feasible explanation of this unsatisfactory state of affairs is that many of the people holding land are not patting it to the best possib'e uss. If the conditions are allowed to 3ont'nue they will mean after the war stagnation.

REGULATING PRICES. Tbe members of the Board of Trade

have returned from their northern trip with a very creditable report of what has been accomplished in the way of regulating the prices of meat in Auckland and in some of the provincial towns. The establishment of State meat depots has bad an appreciable effect on both wholesale and retail prices in tbe “ Queen City ” and in air-ad of ru.ning the private butchers has induced them to adopt better business methods.

Tbe depots are supplying over2,oUo customers daily and thjir trade is rapidly increasing. The Board has also effected agreements with the retail butchers in Napier, Hastings, Palmerston North and Masteiton and in each of these towns has been able to check contemplated advances in prices.

Tbe methods seem to be giving gerrril satisfaction and the regulations it has issued under the authoiity of the Minister are evident-y curbing the desire of interested parties to play fast aud loose with the intentions of the legislature as was done in the case of the regulations formed dnting the early days of the war. Of course, the Board cannot reverse the operation of all the inexorable laws of economies, but it certainly has done something towards ensuring tbe community against their distortion and unfair application.