WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1918, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE OOAIL CRISIS, RUMORS 01? A STRIKE. (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, August 14. Rumors are 'being whispered about the city to-day to the effect that the coal miners having failed tjj obtain any adequate concession, as they think, from the owners, have determined upon a strike and that the "s|op work" meetings being held in the mining centres are merely a preliminary to prompt action in this direction, fetane color ia being given to the rumors by the appeals that are being made to the Government 'by labor leaders only indirectly interested in the trouble to take over €he control of the mines; but people who may be supposed to know something-of the miners' intentions do not think the chances of a 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 tiiem they would have no chance of enforcing their demands by impo3jng inconvenience and loss upon the test of the community.

STATE CONTROL.; The suggestion of State Control is, 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 svibscribe to any scheme that offered a fair iprospect of saving them from a recurrence of the {rouble. But State Control ctwmot be seriously discussed till Mr. Massey and Sir Josewh. Ward return from London. It is understood that a majority of the Ministers on the spot are favorable to the acquisition of the mines, or at least open to conviction, but the step involves too many big problems to bo 'undertaken in the absence of the party leaders. Information on the subject is being got together, however, and as far as can be seen the mineowners are raising no strenuous abjection to the (proposal.

, LABOR'S PROTEST. I Bfeanvbile the consumers are not displaying any effusive gratitude over the reduction of five farthings a hundredweight in the price of coal-dust obtained through the intervention of i the Board of Trade. Mr. M. Reardon, the president of the Wellington Trotefand Labor Council, expresses the humorous view of the concessison. "Wo are very, very pleased to see the price of slack has been reduced By 2s per ton," he" says. "That will bo of great benefit to the working community. But at the same time, I think the Board of Trade's efforts would have been foetter appreciated had it directed that a few lumps of real good" coal should be sent out with «aoh order." There seems little doubt that much of the stuff being sup' pb'ed as fuel in Wellington 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 open in October and that if Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward should not happen to ibe hack iby that time Sir James Allen, as Acting Prime Minister, will go on with the "business of the country in their absence. ; A good many people have arrived at this conclusion before and it now may be taken for granted that a couple of months hence the session will be in full swing. Two of the big questions with which Parliament will have to deal will foe the proposed national projhibition poll and the date of the next general election, and there is a growing feeling that tbi Government by way of a compromise between the conflicting interests will propose to talce both the I poll and the election at the end of next yew.