Political Prattle

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 77, 30 August 1912, Page 5

Political Prattle

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STATE COAL MINES

ARE THEY A FAILURE?

One of the main points in a Budget speech by Mr. G. M. Thomson was that the State Coal Department is being run at a dead loss. The Stat© coal mine had been a disastrous failure. Any industry financed by the State ought to bear the same charges as a private individual. All private mining companies pail 6d. a ton in royalty, but th© Stat© coal concern had not met that charge. State coal intended for Government use was free from Is. a ton wharfage. If these items had been ■charged, thi> departu. cut would in five years have shown a total loss of £28,----266, including a loss last year of £10,----097. He alleged that the Railway Department was charged too much.

Mr. G. W. Russell: What about tho reduction to tho publio in the price of coal ?

Mr. Thomson replied that doubtless Wellington had benefited, but he was oertain it had not brought down the price of coal in Dunedin.

Mr. Russell: The reduction in Christchurch is 2a. 6d. per ton.

Mr. Thomson asked what was th© annual loss on Runanga township. He put it at £1000 a year. Miners at the State mine averaged 18s. Gd. a day for 6J hours' work. He did not mind men getting all they could; but contrast that with th© salary of the Education Department's clerks, 30 in number, which did not exceed 9s. a day. An Unsatisfactory Mine. He did not desire to disparage the work of th© late Government. It was a great mistake, but having entered into the business the Government would have to keep it up. It was a matter of publio knowledge that the Seddonville mine was practically shut down. There was plenty of coal, but it would not pay t-Q handle, because the loss of coal was too great. Until some better method of utilising the broken coal was found th© mine would have to remain closed. In the meantime the country had to enter into new developments, which the Under-Secretary estimated would »cost £100,000. The briquette plant was now shut down, and the deficiency was about £50,000.

A now member of Parliament, according to the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher, usually spends his first session in saying things ho does not think, and his second session in thinking the things he does not say, while in his third session he begins to say those things that he thinks most of his constituents think he ought to say. * * The Minister for Defence (Hon. J. Allen) was asked by Mr. Robertson whether he would stop the prosecution of lads for non-servio© a« territorials ttnfcjj anfih time as the law is altered. Tho Minister gave tho following reply: The proposed amending defence legislation will be introduced at the earliest opportunity. Till this legislation is passed tho law as it stands must be complied with; but it is hopfict to mako provision that anyone convicted, whether committed bofoTe ot nfter the commencement of tho Aot (if passed), who makes default in payment of any fine *»*y fee ©oiHHHtted to military ea«tody. * * * Last 'woek in Parliament the Han. W. Frasor said he had already given a denial to the statement that the retail coal depots Wefe 'to b*> closed. Ho had no hesitation in that there wan no foundation in fact for the statement. It iv,ii contrary to fact. Nothing had been <l:'ridcd in reyiivd V" the uf I bo iilve-i-vihiii,! was going on nt the r■>!ntr» mines as when Mr. Cnlrifi was in chhT*e of them. Tho work in rccnr<-l to the extension of the railYvfiy Io the ii"W inino was going on, aiifl h* (Mr. T-'rasori was .authorising it to go on. Did that

look like closing the whole thing? Of course it did not. It had not been determined by himself or Cabinet to close the depots. In reply to an interjection by Mr. Colvin tlie Minister said nothing had leaked out.

The "Dominion" quotes a sample of Opposition journalism as displayed in G. W. Russell's "Spectator": "But Mr. Laurenson gave the Minister for Marine his quietus. In terms of withering contempt, during the recital of which Mr. Fisher sat like a grinning chimpanzee, the M.P. for Lyttelton .... Mr. Fisher is the muckrake of the Massey party. ... He deals in baseless charges, dirty innuendoes. . . He pokes about the swine-barrels of political life looking for garbage that # * * The Liberal candidate for the Egmont seat, Mr. Astbury, is a platform man of experience in elections. He is a farmer and a single-taxer, and hitherto has fought as an independent. The Liberal organisation is reported to be good, and Astbury's chances of election are considered fairly rosy.

.Wilford produced a fine sample of mixed metaphor in debate on the Budget, which, he said, had been criticised by "fledglings who were just cutting their eye teeth."

C. A.. Wilkinson, who is to be the Government candidate, for the Egmont seat at th© impending by-election, has been a candidate for the seat on two previous occasions. He expects to "get there" this trip.

Mr. L. M. Isitt's contribution to the Budget debate created a mild sensation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday night of last week. Ho started off by referring to the editor of the "Dominion" as "that hired perverter of the truth for the Government Party," described the "Dominion" brand of journalism as ''a disgrace to the party it aided, and to tho country in which it existed," and then went on to refer to tho Massey Ministry as "having been begotten by slander, shapen in intrigue, and born in dishonor," when he was sternly Teproved by Mr. Speaker, who rose and said: "The hon. member's language is now going far beyond bounds. Dishonor is not a proper term to apply to any set of men." Mr. Isitt said lie Would obey the Speaker's ruling in so far as his phraseology Was concerned, indulged in some further strong criticism of the Government organs, and concluded with a plea for optional service in, -connection with the defence forces of the Dominion and a condemnation of court-martials.

* * V: Mr. D. Buick, who followed Mr. Isitt, raised some laughs with the comment that "Mr. Isitt had told them that ho had nothing but giugerale that raght. It must have been the froth ihat ho bad given them. It might luivc improved his speech had he put a little whisky in it." frank disapproval of tho Government's &o loot-ion for tho High Coiuuihssionership has been expressed by Mr. D. Buick, who is a Government supporter, in the House of Representatives. "'This appointment- lias certainly not been the reward of faithful service," bo said. ''The High Commissioner has been unfaithful to everything he had touched. He was first unfaithful to tho Opposition, \w\ by Captain Russell. He wobbled on the fence for a- white, and then got into the so-called Liberal Party. When lie cot into a high position- and thought it tirno to jettison the captain, he throw him overboard and took the position himself, lift worked for :* few month:-; as T'roinier of the new !,ih-.''i\i! Tain. a.< be oidU-d ii, :-,n.! \l .-a j,,; i! iV .i,i c;i the- .'Hutu*!. '-! iv-y h'.'-xt 1 tr-ru |. . l everywhere. - ' >!r. ttuic!*. ad-led U.at nil that Mr. Macke-ivi" had been faithful to was thedlen. Tie>n<:'.s }|;i(-ki<uzi-\ * •:-.- •::• The Ruflgf't debate h»s finished. Sehih.