WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 April 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

The Coal Strike.

Still Unsettled.

(Or.r Special Correspondent.)

Wellington, April 18

So far tbn tfforr* of Sir James Alisti ard !h9 H< n W. D S. MaoDonald appear to hav-o iff cued no imprcvemeut in tue position on the West Coast and fcba cblay in feachicig a settlement o' t’ns trouble i« cansirg a good deai or uneasineue throughout the community. Jaet what eigmfieauca should bo attached to the tahgr&ra whiob the secretary of the United Federation of Labour has addressed co the Acting Prime Miniver it is diffioalt to say, bnt the message certainly does unt represent the views of the great ma-s of the workers here, who, howev. r much they may disapprove of tbe principle of conscription in tha abstract, realise the importance oE the Dumiaion r‘»8( harsprar its i'»*'*at?cas to the Empire fully and promptly at the present stage in the great nat.cval crisis. They deny the'right of the Federation to speak on their behalf in th's respect and protest that tbe organisation is doing Labor an incalculable injury by prejudicing it in the eyes of electors whose politics! co-operation it will need after the war.

RAILWAY SERVICES The fact that the negotiations between tbe Ministers and the miners on tbe West Coast are not progressing as Bmoothly as it was hoped they would, is brought home to the public this morning by an announcement from the Min*-ter of Rail ways ihsi “cones* quern, on the eerocs &vo>'iwa of throughout New Zealand” the staffeaving soherne which was to have have inaugurated at the beginning of next mcrth will he brought into operation on Monday next in an even more drastic form than was originally contemplated.

In addition to restricting the passenger service to the very barest necessities, the goods service will be confined to the carriage of foodstuffs and other absolute essentials.

Timber, fencing material, iron, straw, lime end a number of other articles in constant demand will not ba accepted till the fuel position is agaia aesnred. THE POSITION FORESEEN. It may be as well to state, what ig now an open secret, that the heroic measures now datsrminad upon were discussed by the Cabinet a week ago. The Minister of Railways was prepared even then to take the drastic steps now forced upon the Government, but after careful consideration it was decided to put the case frankly to the miners before going to extremes. The visit of Sir .Lunas Allen and Mr MacDonald to tbe Coaejit’ was tbe reanlt of thia determination and it now rests with the men on strike to eay whether or not the public shall be put to the aarioua inconvenience and grave loss in which the restric’ed railway services will involve every section of the community.

. Mr Harries made the point quite clear iu bis announcement and the miners will have only themselves to blamß if they have to bear the onus of dislocating the whole transport system of the Dominion. SANE LABOUR. While UreßpoQiiible ay under varous disguises are. tryihg. to stir up strife over the administration of the Military Service Act the representatives of Labour, among whom Mr A, H. Hindmarsh and Mr W. A. Yeitch are the most conspicuous figures at the moment, are attempting to arouse the workers to a proper sense of their opportunities and their responsibilities. These gentlemen are not talking of tba conscription of wealth as if it were desirable to merch off the great landhrlder’s accumulated thousands to the war ; but aro emphasieing the point that the accumulated thousands ai-

ready are at the disposal of the State to be taken by avy equi<able system of taxation and employed in ameliorating the condition of the less fortunate membere of the community. Speaking at Petona last night the members for Wellington South urged an audience of local rate-payers to be preparing for the next Parliamentary election, which would deeide how the enormouß burdens of tbe war were to be borne and hov» the governing institutions of the country were to be brought into harmony with the ideals and aspiration!? of the mass of tbe people. It was a wbolosome and inspiring note after the weartsomt fnlminaticn3 of the spokesmen of the Federation of Labor,