The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1919. ON STRIKES AND RAILWAYS.

Taihape Daily Times, 20 August 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1919. ON STRIKES AND RAILWAYS.

With which its incorporated “The Taihape Post and Waimarino News.”

-The coal enigima. has advanced another step towards solution. Most people had accepted the General Manager of Railways’ statement of the situation in full faith, but Mr Massey steps into the unravelling and tells a deputation that railway restrictions will be removed when the seamen’s strike in Australia ends. At least, that is how most people would construe Mr Massey’s words, but so that all may take their own View of them we quote precisely what he did say, “Government wished to restore the carriage of timber at the earliest possible moment, and when the strike in Australia was ended haulage would be ircsumedf,’ We know now that railway ‘re-strietionsyon the haulage of timber depends upon the-termination of a ‘strike ‘in Australia {for their cancellaltion, for the Prime--Minister has said :directly the stl"’ike~ ends"timber llaul‘age will commence on the railways, and,‘ in‘f-e'r’entially‘, he :—states that‘- unrd til the strike" does ‘terminate there will be no timber ha.ulag'e'." Mr"‘- Massey would apparently liké to‘-‘vent a" little ofihis 'wroth' on‘ Mr - R. Smith, M_P‘.,‘ for pointing out the‘ fourth ease coming ‘under ‘his notice of -backload-A ing being refused to ships that have brought coal to relieve this Dominions’ coal famine,'because it incidentally gives the key to the solution of ithe coal and railway conundrum. It ‘it, very obvious that the Minister of }Railways wished it understood , that ihaulage of timber was stopped owing lte men on strike in Australia refusing }to handle it; but Mr Smith has made it clear that Australians are still chartering ships, and will load these ships with coal if New Zealand will send a back-cargo of timber; Australia has sent the coal according to understanding, and, for the fourth time We have failed to send the tiln—ber. ‘Why does -not Mr Massey state frankly what the coal shortage and railway breakdown are intended to lead up to? The Minister is placing the General Manager of Railways in a position he has no right to be forced into, for we are convinced that had our ‘railways been entrusted to him instead" of to an imported railwaygrinder, there would never have been any such difficulty as we are at present experiencing. Mr MeVilly is loyally doing -his duty, but his remarks about coal—ships and backloading do not answer Mr Smith’s statement of: fact. Mr Massey has made it still more obvious that coal can be got from Australia, and that the railways have coal, and are fit and equipped for the haulage of such heavy freight as timber, and sequentially of course, of stock and all those commodities that man and beast require to eke out a. reasonable existence, but the railways Won't work till the strike in Australia is ended. When railway restrictions were imposed this journal remarked -that it looked very like assisting the Australian Government ill strike-breaking, we did not imagine that the Prime Minister would be our chief witness to the truth of our suspicions. We would ask Mr Massey and the Minister‘ of Railways whether it is not a fact that the Australian strike has continued for a much greater length of time than they anticipated? The Premier is still expressing the hope that the strike will end in a few days-; of course, all our hopes run i“. similar channels, but Why make the haulage on New: Zealand railways contingent on the break of an Australian strike The Prime Minister, the Minister of Railways, and the General Manager simultaneously burst out in chorus, “Railway curtailment is due 501013’ to coal shortage.” The huge number of wagons, engines and all Toning Stock in workshops do not affect the curtailment necessity at all, The Premier said the rolling stock is in V.e"Y good Order, obviously that‘ cannot be so, or why is so much of it} in the Various workshops. Is it be- 3 cause the Minister failed in what he knew to be a forlorn hope while a] watersiders’ strike was on, that was,’

'3O SOl3 'AllStl‘a-lialls to foot-an agreement to send a large quantity of coal ‘tn New Zealand, thatthe refuses haulage of back-loading to the ships that ltiniber-brokers can charter? Thinking ‘EIIO CO3l 5110“-2186 plea might be honlest sawmillers offered to provide, free ;of cost, 1-ata, mairi and other good [firewood so that there might be no stoppage of. traffic, and it is only this week that the Minister ,of Railways has condescended to even CollSidel‘ Such an offer. He had been told that engine-boxes would need alteration to burn firewood, but he Would look into the suggestion. Why use the word “suggestion,’.’ Mr Herries, to designate such a. generous offer as the sawmillers have made in this Do. minion’s best interests‘: why 311 this subterfuge about coal shortage, b.v-token-down rolling stock, and prom. ises to consider firewood? Did not the Prime Minister tell a deputation, headGCI by a Member of his own party in Parliament, that ..resumption of« haulage was wholly dependent on the termination of the strike in Australia, and did he notldistinctly inform the deputation that haulage would recom l mence instantly that . strike was “called off?” We would have thought that the Commonwealth Government was quite independent of the New Zealand Reform Government’s help in settling its-labour difliculties, but we were quite unaware that Reformers had any notion of posing as experts in strike—breaking. In any case we cannot conceive what help the stoppage of our public railway system is going to render, nor What effect. it will have upon the men. who are striking in impelling them to go to work, but the subtlities of Reform have outgrown most people's understanding. Besides, there is no further, occasion to go on air-beating, for has. not the Prime Minister made the position quite clear—'No railway restriction removed until the Australian strike ends-Strike off, restrictions off!! » ‘