WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taihape Daily Times, 15 August 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE COAL QRIJKS. RUMOURS OF A STRIKE. (Special Correspondent.) W" WELLINGTON. 14. Rumours are being whispered about the city to-day to the effect that the coalminers having failed to obtain any adequate concession, as they think, from the owners, have determined upon a strike and that the."stop work" meetings being held in the mining centres are merely a . preliminary to prompt action in this direction. Some colour is being given to the rumours by the appeals that are being made to the Government by labour leaders only indirectly interested in the trouble to take over the control of he mines; but people who may be suppos ed to know something of the miners' intentions do not think the chances of an amicable settlement have yet been exhausted. They hold that the men have not yet satisfied the public of the justice of their cause and that without public opinion behind them they would have no chance of enforce ing their demands by imposing incon* venience and loss upon the rest of the community. STATE CONTROL. The suggestion of State control fs, of course, by no means a new one, but never before has it been put forward with such a weight of public sympathy behind it as it is commanding to-day. The coal famine in Wellington has been a very disagreeable experience to many people and most of them would subscribe to any scheme that offered a fair prospect of saving them from a recurrence of the trouble. But State Control cannot be seriously discussed till Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph j Ward return from London. It is understood that a majority of the Ministers on the spot are favourable to the acquisition of the mines, or at least open to conviction, but the step involves too many big problems to be under-* taken in the absence of the party leaders. Information on the subject is being got together, however, and as far as can be seen the mine-owners are' raising no strenuous objection to the proposal. LABOUR'S PROTEST. Meanwhile the consumers are not! displaying any effusive gratitude over the reduction of five farthings a hun« ,dred-weight in the price of coal dust obtained through the intervention of the Board of Trade. Mr. H. Reardon^

the President of the Wellington I Trades and Labour Council, expressed the humorous view of the concession,; "We are very, very pleased to see the price of slack has been reduced by 2s a ton/-'he says. 'That will be of great benefit to the working community. But j at the same time, I think the Board of Trade's efforts would have been better appreciated had it directed that a. few lumps of real good coal should be sent out with each order." There seems little- doubt that much of the stuff being supplied as fuel in "Welling, ton at the present time is mine refuse formerly used in ballasting the tram lines. THE SESSION. The "Evening Post,' 'after discussing the whole matter to the length of a column and more of print last night, decided that the next session of Parliament will be opened in October and that if Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward should happen not to be back by; that time Sir James Allen, as 'ActingPrime Minister, will go on with the business of the country in their ab-< sence. A good many people had arrived at this conclusion before and it now may be taken for granted that a coiipie of months hence the session will be in full swing. Two of the bigquestions witb which Parliament will have to deal will be the proposed national prohibition poll and the date of the next general election, and there is a growing feeling that the Government by way of a compromise between the conflicting interests will propose to take both the poll and the election at the end of next year.