WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 February 1920, Page 4

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(Our Special Correspondent). LABOUR TROUBLES. “INCITING TO STRIKE.” WELLINGTON, Feb. 11. The Labour leaders continue to ridicule the stories of an impending general strike in which all the workers' unions of any consequence are to be involved and every important industry in the Dominion attacked. “The sort of stuff that is being talked about the town and published in the newspapers,” a secretary of one’ of the unions said this morning, “is nothing less than an ’ incitement to strike, and if the authorities did their duty they would pull up the gossips with a round turn before they do any more harm.” Other prominent figures in the Labour movement have spoken to the same effect, and it must be admitted that the temper of the workers, speaking generally, appears to be much less bellicose Than it was in the years before the war. COST OF LIVING. The main cause of such unrest as exists among the workers is the 1 igh cost of living and its persistent increase. Here they do not blame the great body of the employers, who r.re sufferers themselves from the enhanced prices, but the Government, which they firmly believe':has signally failed to restrain the operations of the exploiter and the profiteer. Even be?e, however, they are not preaching direct action as the remedy for their troubles. Their heavy polling at the general election, which they are estimating at its full' face value, has inspired them with a new faith in constitutional methods and’ a new belief in their own political power. They are devoting themselves to propaganda work and looking forward—confidently, they profess—to the next appeal to the constituencies. A WAITING POLICY. Meanwhile Mr Massey is following the “waiting and seeing” policy. There is a disposition on the part of some of with their hands to shift their troubles on to his broad shoulders, and to-day he is meeting the representatives of the mine owners and the minors in conference, but so far he has given no indication of the resolute measures which were to place the industrial affairs of the country on a sound basis and so facilitate the great work of reconstruction. Nor, apart from the mining dispute, which at the moment is subjudiec, is there any labour problem calling insistently for his more active intervention. If there is serious unrest among the workers, it is not apparent on the surface, and Mr Massey is too okl a politician to meet trouble half way. CABINET MAKING. Probably a matter occasioning the Prime Minister more anxiety at tho present time is the reconstruction of his Cabinet. He is receiving advice on this matter from all quarters—from his political friends—and there have been runnings to and from between Wellington and the provinces which socm to suggest that ho is not averse to hearing the views of other peoplo on the subject. There is one section of his well-wishers urging him to include Liberal and Labour representatives in his Ministry—the Hon W. D. S. MacDonald and tho Hon A. M. Myors being named as the representatives of ono party and Mr W. A. Veitch as tho re-

i* * . presentative of tlie other—but it is doubtful if the rank and file of any of the parties would approve of this course, and without the approval of them all it would serve none of the purposes he had in view, except, perhaps, to secure the services of Mr Myers at the Treasury. THE COAL CONFERENCE. SLOW PROGRESS. WELLINGTON, Feb. 12. So far the Coal Conference has made little progress with the more serious of the problems it was summoned to consider. At the opening of the proceedings on Wednesday the owners’ representatives were anxious to get ahead rapidly and would have discussed at once the relative merits of the contract system and the wages system, but. the Prime Minister dissuaded them from this course and now the business is progressing in a more leisurely and deliberate fashion. This is regarded generally as a favourable omen for an amicable settlement of the dispute, but the Press having been excluded from the sittings of the conference it is difficult to judge of the attitude and temper of the delegates. The representatives of both sides remain very reticient and the most that can be got from them is that the negotiations have not yet reached a crucial stage. RECONSTRUCTION. Mr Massey’s assumption of the presidency of the Coal Conference has accentuated the need for the early strengthening of the Cabinet. It is hoped the Conference will make only a temporary demand upon his time, but whether this is the case or not the Prime Minister cannot continue to cany .the load he is at present bearing without seriously impairing his health. Already' he is showing signs of overwork, which has been his lot ever since his return front the Peace Conference, and if he attempts to carry on for another month or two without adequate assistance, as seems to be his present intention, the consequences may be very grave. Sir James Allen’s absence on the Samoan trip may be the last straw to make his burden unbearable, and among his other colleagues there is not one sufficiently • experienced in general administration to afford him any material relief. POLITICAL SPECULATIONS. Mr Massey’s difficulties in undertaking the immediate reconstruction of his Cabinet would lie in making a choice from the number of aspirants for office. It is a point on which he would like to consult the members of his party, but this would be an extremely delicate experiment and in the end probably would give him no useful guidance. There are suggestions that in fulfilment of his declarations before the general election he should call representatives of the Liberal and Labour Parties t-o his counsels, but the idea is not finding favour with the rank and file of his own party, and it is doubtful if the “best brains” selected from the other parties would be particularly anxious to stultify themselves in the eyes of their constituents by accepting subordinate positions in a ministry that would be under no obligation to defer to their views on any vital question of policy. THE SAMOAN TRIP. There has been much talk during tlie last week or two of the difficulties that would beset the Samoan excursion in getting away from Wellington. It has been alleged that the waterside workers would refuse to have anything to do with tlie Mokoia and that their fellow unionists woqld assist them in maintaining a strict boycott against the vessed. It was even whispered the Seamen’s Union would bar her progress and if Sir James Allen wished to keep faith with bis guests he would have to persuade them to man the stokehold and take watch and watch about on deck. Rut all this appears to have been rather cheap and obvious humour and to have originated with the street gossips and not with the workers themselves. The Government, however, lias taken the precaution of fully equipping the Mokoia in Dunedin.