WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 January 1921, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE .MINING DISPUTE

NO PROGRESS

(Guy Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, Jan. 26

No further progress has been made towards the settlement of the coal mining dispute arising out of the incident at Blackball and the authorities regard the position as unsatisfactory. The point at issue is the selection of a chairman to preside over the conference between the representatives of the employers and the men to consider the case of alleged victimisation. The Government wish to appont one of the stipendiary magistrates and the' men will accept no one hut .Mr Ilalley, ol the Concliation Council, whom they contend is the only available official with an intimate knowledge of the customs and practice of the mining industry. The Minister, of course, has raised no objection to Mr Halley, but lie thinks in the circumstances a magistrate would make a more suitable chairman. A GRAVE CRISIS. The secretary of the Miners’’ Federation seen this morning, said he feared the country was ou the verge of a very grave crisis. The miners had nothing to gain in the way of increased pay or improved conditions by the stand the\ were taking, but they realised that a very important principle was at stakeami in the interests of themselves and indeed, of the community they had to

sec that this principle w«s unheld. There seemed to be an impression abroad that the miners were not in a position to maintain a long struggle, but as a matter of fact they never were better able to insist upon their rights than they were at the present time. They did not want to involve the Commonwealth in the dispute, but the Australian miners certainly would come,to their assistance if their help were needed. The men were not going to allow themselves to be trampled upon. A QUESTION OF ODDS. That sage and reverent body, the New Zealand University Senate, has been scandalised by the inclusion in the matriculation paper of a question requiring some knowledge ot betting phraseology for its successful solution. “Three, men run a race,” the examiner in mathematics put it to the candidates, “and odds are offered against them of two to one, three to one ind four to one respectively. How much should a person lay upan them respectively sd as to win £3 5s whoever wins the race?” A lady teacher had complained that her pupils being ignorant of the language of the racecourse, were at a disadvantage in dealing with the question and her complaint had been referred to the Examinations Committee of the Senate. Yesterday the Commit-

tee reported that the paper had been “oarefullv moderated” and, theiefoic, that it had “no recommendation to make.” Several of the members of the Senate were indignant at the introduction of gambling terms into its examination papers, but finally they were mollified by the Chancellor’s assurance that no such question was likely to he put again. SOLDI Ell SETTLEMENT. At a meeting of the Dominion Executive of the Farmers’ Union held here yesterday the question,of soldier settlement came up for discussion on a remit from the Dannevirkc branch urging that the further purchase of land, for soldiers should be postponed until prices adjusted themselves and actual values were ascertained. Mr Hugh Morrison (Wairarapa) strongly supported the remit, contending that majiv of the men who had been put on high priced land already were “up against it.” and would have the greatest difficulty in pulling through without luither assistance from the State. He suggested that the six million loan recently raised should he reserved for this ‘ purpose. Mr -T. Livingstone (Hawke’s Bay) and Mr G.L. Marshall (Wellington) spoke to a similar effect, but a majority of the delegates thought the Government could lie trusted to do the wise and prudent thing and the remit was rejected.