Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1920, Page 2

Tfte Westland County Council nt its incotill”; on Tuesday revived the siili- | ject of the gold-mining interests by passing a. motion urging the Government to appoint a Minister of Mines with the object of onuiieinting a. policy leading up to a more active and intimate interest on the part of the Minos Department in the development and expansion of the mining industry of the

Dominion. Sir Will. Fraser who is not now a member of the House, is carrying on pro torn as Minister of Mines hut apparently in quite a nominal way. For some reason Mr Massey is delaying unduly in the re construction of his Cabinet, aiul the mining industry suffers thereby. It- is almost a year ago since an important conference relating to the advancement of the gold-mining industry was held here, and much was hoped for from the frank expressions of approval from the then Minister of Mines. That gentleman is out of office and is now the Leader of H.M. Opposition. For many months the Department has been “run” by its official staff, and when it is recalled that the lately appointed Under Secretary is a gentleman quite without knowledge of mining, being in fact an ex-land purchase officer, and purely' a departmental worker, it can bo realised that- the interests of the industry are not being dealt with in a practical way. The value of the mining industry to this Dominion in the past and its prospective value suggest it is entitled to better treatment at the hands of the powers that be. The Government in power does not* appear to possess in all its ranks any supporter in Parliament capable of filling tlie Ministry of Mines adequately, but at least some effort should he made to do so,, and in a general way the Government surely could formulate some semblance of a mining policy without as at present absolutely ignoring mining interests.

The second day of the railway strike in the North Island passed without special incident. Mr Massey did not rush to Wellington as quickly as was expected, and his leisurely movements suggests that the Government has made up its mind as to a course of action, and before expressing it desires a certain lapse of time to eventuate to enable the public to realise what is ahead —if the strike goes on, This impression is borne out bv the further decision received last night that the Royal tour ip the North Island had been abandoned and tlie Prince was to return to his ship which would make her way in due course to Wellington. The North Island is the special stronghold of the Government, and the district would not he penalised in that way unless a set plan necessitated the course. On the other side of ■ the question we find the railwaymen standing strongly together. They are receiving offers of support from various unions and combinations of Civil Servants, which suggests that if the strike goes on it will develope into one Big Strike, and in the end it might be found that there will be very few of tlie public who are not on strike. If this comes’to pass the course of events will have its humorous side—the vast majority of tlie public striking against themselves.. However, a few hours now will determine which way the pendulum is to swing. The door is not closed finally to a settlement. Hi ere were evidences in last night’s telegrams that the door is ajar and ready to be dung wide open. The situation turns on the Premier’s handling of the ease at headquarters and from appearances as a whole it seems likely that a way out of the impasse will be found yet to avoid a great national strike,