WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 January 1919, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

THE SHIPPING TROUBLE. GENERAL UNREST. (Our Special Correspondent) WET) LING ON, Jan. 23. The ferry steamers have been running without further interruption, but a feeling of uncertainty as to their sailings still prevails and in shipping circles there are forebodings of graver trouble to cotne. The men, on their side, continue to protest through the officials of their union that they wish to maintain harmonious relations with their employers and that nothing is further front their intentions than, a strike. But their general attitude is not in keeping with their fair words. The shipowners are determined to cm ploy no more “runners,” and the Seamen’s ..Union, while professing to have no sympathy with these interlopers, appears to he taking no particulai trouble to fill their places. Meanwhile no one. can say what a day will bring forth.

THE POLITICAL ASPECT. One of the significant features of the situation is the persistence with which some of the Labour officials invited to discuss the situation drift off into the puliical arena. They admit that the men are difficult to manage and often unmanageable, but they find excuses for them in the sins of omission and commission, whether real or imaginary, of the National Government. They want to know why Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward are away from the country at such a time as this, why the cost of living has been allowed to soar so high and why the working man is bearing so much of the war burden. The irrelevancy of all this seems never to occur to them and any attempt to bring them back to the subject in hand simply stimulates their wayward oratory.

THE SANE ELEMENT. Rut it would be unfair to the man earning their living on ships or working on the water-front to assume tliat all of them, or oven a majority of them, share this distorted view of the situation. A large proportion of the regular firemen are irresponsible spirits, the fault, perhaps, of their occupation and its conditions, but tho men with whom they are-associated include a number of sober, hard-working fellows who arc anxious to do well for themselves by honest service to their employers. These men stand for the observance of agreements and for a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay, and, if they arc socialistic at all in the aggressive sense it is in believing State control to he the. remedy for all the exi ting shipping troubles.

THE EMPLOYERS’ VIEW. For .tho employers it can lie fairly said that they are. exercising a great deal ot' patience and forbearance in extremely difficult and trying circnnisuaifoes. They want the labour - flic men can supply and for the most part they are doing their best to get it in a reasonable way. As far as the firemen are concerned they probably have some ground for complaining of the accommodation provided for them on certain steamers, but it is the fault of the auhorities if the law is not being observed in this respect, and it is well known that the men’s quarters on most boats are to a great extent what the men themselves choose to make them. And they do not usually choose very well.

THE (EFFICIENCY BOARD. RELATIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT. WELLINGTON, January 21. Tho statement made by Mr J. A. Frostiek in Christchurch yesterday io the effect that the Efficiency Board would be out of a job in the course of a week ir two has has' given soma colour to the stories alleging strained relations between the Board anj the Government that have been current here for several mouths past. The Board, as might have neon expected from its constitution, lias displayed the utmost independence from the very first day of its appointment. It has broken from many of the old musty traditions and lias insisted upon speaking it.-, mind quite planly. Naturally this has proved on occasions a little embar - rassing to Ministers and has tended now and again to produce a certain amount of irritation.

TITE BOARD’S GOOD WORK. But notwithstanding all this Mr Massey and his colleagues have repeatedly borne witness to the good work done by the Board. They have to thank its members for having provided them with a convenient way of escape from the perils that were threitening them in connection with the li quor question and for several other no table services. But they obviomjy do not wish to extend the Board's activities indefinitely. It has been suggested that it might hi* very advantageously employed in overhauling the public ,service, which! during the war has grown in some, departments to unwieldy dimensions, hut Ministers are giving no encouragement to the development of the idea. Nor are they looking for other work for tho Board. It seems likely, therefore, that Mr Frost ick's prediction will he realised in the neat future.

TRAIN SERVICE^. The .Minister of Railways is being inundated with applicatons for the restoration of train services that were di--coiitinucd during l.lie course of tho war. His replies, judging from his own statement, are of (lie usual stereotyped order, bu.t not intended to quench nl| hope in the hearts of suppliants The most weighty appeals are being made on behalf of the through <- presses in both islands, hut. it is nof at all certain these will lie the ■ rst services restored. The suburban '-rai i really serve a large number of people and affect important interests that are not concerned in Jong instance travelling. Tn any case the armistice has not released a large number of railway workers and the coal shortage is still a delaying factor. Normal conditions may not lie readied for another live or six months. THE REPATRIATION BOARD. The “Dominion” this morning warmly supports the Returned Soldiers’ Association in its protests against the constitution of the Repatriation Board niid finds ready to hand a striking ex ninnln ui Tow ministerial control of

sent,” it says, the lion W. H. Herries who is chairman of the Board, is in the Bay of Plenty region. One of his colleagues, Mr MacDonald is at Napier. Another member of the Board, Mr Guthrie left last. ' night for the gontli Island. The remaining member, Mi Hnnan, is in Wellington, but it i.expected that at an early date he will depart on a visit of some length to Australia.” In justice to the absent Ministers it must be stated that they are away from Wellington on the business of their departments and that in the case of Mr MacDonald and Mi Guthrie, at any rate, the business is not unconnected with the Soldiers’ settlement. At the same time it really does look as if the members of the Board have enough work on hand without taking up this additional burden.