NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 March 1918, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

STATE COLLIERY STRIKE.

GREYMOUTH, March 17,

The executive of the State Miners’ Union conferred with those members who had refused to pay the levy to assist men in Australia recently on strike. After a deal of discussion, dur-

ing which the executive produced receipts showing the money had been forwarded to Australia, and intimated that the levy was being reduced from two and a-half to one and a-quarter per cent., two “resisters” paid the levy, but thirty still declined. It is the general opinion at Runanga that work will be resumed on Tuesday next. The loss of wages since Friday week amounts to £2OOO. ARRIVAL OF TRANSPORTS AT AUCKLAND. MORE DEFENCE MISMANAGEMENT. Familiarised as the people of the Dominion to the "dunderheadness” of the Defence Department have now become, they were hardly prepared for the exhibition of ineptitude and muddle displayed by the Department in the arrangements made for the landing of the returned men from tho transports in Auckland on Friday last, Conltrary to previous practice the transports remained in tho harbour, and the men were landed by tenders, in groups of 10 or 50. This, too, in spite of the fact that there was plenty of berthing accommodation at the wharf. With each visit of the tender confusion became worse confounded, and the next of kin had o means of discovering who had come ashore and who had not, and they had to push and jostle to get near the men, anxiously scanning for the familiar faces they expected. Some of the poor fellows who landed from the tender were on crutches, and some minus limbs, and they had to scramble up the gangway as best they could and had it not been for the outstretched hands of the public some of them must have fared badly. The bungle did not end until 11 p.m. During the process of landing the people were beginning to murmur, and the word "muddle” was heard on all sides, when the May'or took matters 'in hand. Mounting :■ a chair he gained the attention of the crowd! and pointed out that owing to the chaotic conditions it was impossible for next-of-kin to find the men they were looking for. "It is a disgrace to Auckland,” he said, "It is not'- my business to make these arrangements. My business is to receive the' boys and welcome them hack to New Zealand. How can that possibly be done under conditions such as these? (Applause.) It is absolutely disgraceful that such a reception should be given the men who have been, away at the front.’ ’ Continuing, he stated that he would ask those present to voice an emphatic protest, to be convoyed to the Minister of Defence, in view of the deplorable lack of organisation. He moved: "That this gathering of over 1000 Auckland citizens, next-of-kin, and relatives of soldiers arrived back at Auckland, emphatically protests against the disgraceful conditions and tho total lack of suitable arrangements on the part of the military authorities in regard to the returned soldiers, and urges the Minister of Defence to take prompt measures, when men are returning after having made such sacrifices, to prevent a repetition of these conditions.’ ’

On inquiry it was found that the landing -was controlled from headquarters in Wellington, and the Auckland staff had nothing to do with the

arrangements,

A KINDLY ACTION.

j An. instance of the value of a rcI turned soldier J s badge,' as worn by ' New Zealanders, was furnished by one ' of the officers who returned on Friday. A New Zealand officer, he stated, who had been invalided to New Zealand and was subsequently discharged on account of his injuries, recently made a trip Home, Among other places that ho was desirous of seeing, was the House of Commons. He was unable to got a pass and was standing Outside the buildings debating with himself his next course of action. A welldressed gentleman, noticing his badge asked him if he would like to go inside. He stated that he -would and that that was what he had come there for. His newly-found friend at once took him through the whole of the buildings and later in the day found him a scats in the visitors ’ gallery of the House of Lords. While there he was asked to enter his name in a book, that of his sponsor being placed opposite. Before going out again it occurred to him that he would like to know the name of the gentleman who had befriended him. aud he went back and glanced at the book. He was not a little astonished to find that h's ”n----known friend was no other than the Earl of Chesterfield.