WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 70, 22 March 1916, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

(Special Correspondent). w-JkLLINGTuN, March 20. Wellington is not aiaiin_ja.g itself unduiy over tne inrana.e paralysis visitation. "Epidemic" would be too strong a term to apply to tne disease. Tne are not numerous, are even iure in tne city, ana it increasing at ail, are increasing very slowly. Nor is ••visitation" with is suggestion of punishment for neglect, exactly the right Avord! The cases in the Wellington Health District are occurring chiefly in the rural districts, where pure air and other wholesome conditions 'are popularly supposed to be more easily obtained than they are in the metropolitan areas. Of the eight cases reported this morning, for instance, only one is in the city, Avhile two are in Hastings, one in Blenheim and one in Hawera places that provide few lurking spots for unfriendly microbes. But the appearance of the trouble, mild as it is, ought to be awakening the local authorities to the fact that Wellington, in appearance at any rate, is easily the dirtiest of the four big centres in the dominion. With the best drainage system in Australasia, with a more or less adequate water-supply and with an exceptoinally invigorating climate the capital has been content to remain under this reproach for twenty years or more, ever since Christchurch 'and Dunedin entered a new era of municipal activity and even Auckland began to put its main streets and its residential areas in order. Here the streets are filthy —in a greater or a less degree, of course, but without exception so far as the lower part of the town is concerned —and the back-yards and vacant places, speaking generally, are simply abominations. At first sight the city seems to present every condition favourable for the production and distribution of disease and then the wind blows and th e rain comes and it is easier to understand why it is saved from the consequences of its sins and remains contented and unalarmed. LOCAL CAMPS. The advocates of local camps, who hitherto, lor fairly obvious reasons, have received little encouragement from the Wellington newspapers, will welcome with mingled surprise and gratitude a leading article appearing in the "Dominion" this morning. The Reform organ has satisfied itself that the new recruiting scheme is not producing the results its authors expect-

ed it would and taking as its text Captain Barclay's complaint that no hold is kept upon the men who pass the medical test and register during the interval that elapses before they are called up it unburdens itself quite frankly regardless of all party proclivities and local prejudices. "This," it says, "may fairly be called a glaring defect, and it has become more apparent as, with the passage of time and the increasing drain upon the country's man-power, the difficulty of raising the numbers required for succeeding reinforcement drafts has increased. The matter has gone so far that, except in a few favoured areas, it is now' taken for granted that the number of men responding to each call will be short, sometimes materially short, of the number available on paper. This is positively farcial." Captain Barclay's suggestion was that the men schould be sworn in and paid the camp rate of pay between the time they register and the time they go into camp ,and the "Dominion" without absolutely committing itself to this plan evidently looks upon it with some favour. It's alternative is the establishment of local camps, as Auckland and Christchurch have been urging for months pst, and it thinks these are bound to come if the dominion is to discharge its obligation to the Mother Country without resorting to compulsion." The trouble is, of course, that both Mr. Massey and Mr. Allen are now converts to conscription, while Sir Joseph Ward who. holds the opposite view, constitutes only a minority on the Recruiting Board. A feeling is growing up here, however, that the local camps should be tried before voluntaryism is finally abandoned and it will not be altogether surprising to find the "Dominion" article has been in some measure inspired.

THE WOOLLEN MILLS TROUBLE.

The trouble at the Petone ,Wooiien Mills appears to be no nearer to a settlement to-day than it was at the end of last week. The men are basing their claim for an advance of 10 per cent, upon their present wages on the fact that the cost of living has risen nearly 17 per cent, since the last adjustment of their pay. On the face of it the claim seems reasonable enough and the contention that the owners of the mills are earning only moderate dividends is not a very convincing answer in view of the fact that the men ar e able to obtain better wages in outside employment. The Executive of the Social Democratic Party has appeared on the scene with a resolution urging the workers of New Zealand to stand by the men in their fight, but as the men themselves are not fretting, fcr a fight the appeal appears to the uninitiated to be a little purposeless. The men simply want more money to meet their increased expenditure and {if they cannot get it at the mills they will look for it elsewhere. Many of them have done this already, and the demand for competent labour is so

brisk they probably will be lost to

the industry altogether. The popular ■opinion is that the dispute has not heen very tactfully managed by the employers and that the Chairman of the Conciliation Council has been called in too late to render any very useful assistance. In the meantime the' southern mills are becoming a little nervous over the matter and are watching the progress of the negotiations with keen interest. RECRUITING. Sir Joseph Ward who went North last week has been improving the shining hour by holding recruiting meetings in several districts in the Auckland province. The Minister of Finance is particularly anxious to preserve the system of voluntaryism and •the needed success of his meetings in Southland has induced him to carry his appeal further afield. The reports coming to Wellington certainly justify the hope he will succeed and that the North Island at least will provide its full quotas till the end of the war. The establishment of local camps undoubtedly would facilitate the operations of the Recruiting Board and it is rumoured that both* Mr. Allen and his military advisers 'are disposed to modify their views on this point. The question of expense is admitted not to. be a very serious matter and it is obvious from the recent displays at the territorial camps that sufficient officers for training purposes are available. A great deal of the work dene by the recruit when he goes into the central camp is purely of a rudimentary character and authorities here hold it is absurd to say non-com-missioned officers now in training could not overlook this with entirely satisfactory results. Sir Joseph Ward, of course, has expressed no opinion upon these points, but probable he and his colleagues would be inclined to make the experiment.