WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 January 1921, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE coal DISPUTE.

MINERS AGAIN GOING &LOW

(Our Special Correspondent)

WELLINGTON, January 19.

The naughty language used by one of the truckers at the Blackball mine now seems likely to bring about further coal trouble. The trucker has admitted his fault and has expressed his readiness to apologise to the deputy to whom tiie language" was addressed, so soon as the deputy, who is alleged to have made use of similar language offers the same amende honorable. Tile deputy denies having sworn at the miner and the Under-Secretary of the Alines Department being unable t» decide between them the miners’ organisation lias decreed a resumption of the go-slow policy. The Prime Minister is still striving to avert trouble, maintaining a much more conciliatory attitude towards the men than many of his friends can approve, but so far the organisation has shown no signs of relenting. railway Firemen.

On the top of the renewal of the coal trouble comes an ultimatum from the Wellington branch of the Engine-dri-vers, Firemen and Cleaners’ Association demanding that nil 'firemen and engineers having inexperienced firemen as assistants shall receive 2/- a day extra when burning the inferior coal with which the Government has stocked its yards. “While sympathising with the management in being unable to procure coal of a better standard.” a paragraph in the ultimatum funs, “we protest against the great quantity of inferior coal they have bought and are still buying.” The sting of the protest lies in a notice that unless the 2/- a day ere forthcoming the firemen will cease worn at mid-night on Sunday next, lhe General Manager has deferred his reply till tho chief mechanical engineer returns to town at the end of the week, but the men have made it quite clear there will be no procrastination on thenpart. NEW MINISTERS. The Prime Minister is likely to hare a far wider choice in filling the impending vacancies at the Cabinet than he ,s in finding successors to the retiring judges. There have been quite a number of politicians in Wellington during the past week whose visits to the sent of Government are not unnaturally associated in the popular mind with the portfolios that are l>cing held in suspense. It is frankly admitted, however, by Mr Massey’s own friends that most of the members of . outstanding ability sitting on the Reform side of the House of Representatives already have been moved up to the Treasury Benches and that the IVime Minister’s choice, though wide, is not ve*v encouraging. One outcome of the situation is sure to be the assumption of additional burdens bv Mr Massey Himself. ’ I 1.18ERA1.,-LABOUR RAPPROACHMF.NT. It is too early yet to say there has been anything in the way of a rappronohment between the Liberal and Labour parties in Parliament. There are, however, up and down the country indications that- the members of the two parties opposed to the present government are more inclined to come together than they were immediately after the general election. They have begun to realise that divided as they are at present they have no chance of defeating the Reformers in the constituencies or of exercising any very useful influence in Parliament. The recognition of these fftets have brought some of the live men in the parties together in an informal way and though no great progress towards a renewal of the old relations has been made if is said the prospects of a good understanding between tho two parties has been substantia Ily improved.