WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 14 June 1919, Page 12

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE COAL CRISIS. (From Our Special Correspondent.) The further statement made by the Hon. A. M. Myers, Minister of Supplies, yesterday in regard to the coal position effectually disposes of the reiterated assertion that the shortage of fuel for domestic purposes is due to large quantities of coal being stored up by tlio Railway Department. As a matter of fact, the railway stocks are so low that unless the position materially improves during the next few weeks train services may have to be curtailed and other drastic measures adopted in order to maintain public services; and primary industries. The truth is that the supply of coal from the local mines and importations has enormously declined since the beginning of the war, the total available in 1918 being some 700,000 tons less than in 3914, and it is only by the closest supervision and the most complete organisation that a much graver crisis has been averted.

LAND AND LABOR, By a somewhat unhappily turned allusion to agitators and demagogues in his presidential address at the opening of tfye Wellington Provincial Conference of the Farmers' Ujiion yesterday, Mr. G. L. Marshall brought two or three of the more militant delegates to their feet with protests against the suggestion that the members of the union as a whole were looking upon the Labor movement in a spirit of antagonism. One of thes.e gentlemen thought it "a great pity anything of the sort should happen," because "the real need of the situation" was co-operation, and another demanded that the reference to "loud-mouthed demagogues" should be withdrawn. Mr. Marshall promptly retorted that he was not referring to the Labor movement at all, nor to the members of any political party in New Zealand, but to those irresponsible people who flouted law and order and ISyalty, and with this. l explanation the incident was allowed to pass.

DISLOYALISTS. Speaking at the dinner to the delegates to the Farmers' Union conference last night the Hon. W. D.-S. Mac Donald, the acting leader of the Liberal Party, left no doubt? in the minds of his hearers as to his feeling and attitude towards people who trifled with their duty to the Empire. "I don't care," he said, "whether/ a man is Labor, Liberal or Reforgi—l don't care so long as.' he is a true, stout, loyal Britisher. Every man is entitled to his own opinion of political questions. But there were sedi-tion-mongers about, men who never lifted a hand to help in the war, men who didn't care twopence for the country, who did everything they possibly could to prevent their fijllowers going to the front. I want to say that during the coming year, whenever the election takes place, the disloyal man, the seditionmonger, the men with a biased brain, prejudiced mind and poisoned tongue should have no hearing in New Zealand." Needless to say the Minister's stirring words were received with loud applause and enthusiastic cheers.

OFFICIAL LABOR. The leaders; of the official Labor Party, who claim, of course, to be representatives of a large majority of the unionists and of the unorganised workers, remain very reticent in regard to the recent development in party politics. They had'been proclaiming for some time that their heart's desire was a permanent coalition between the Reformers and Liberals, which, so they declared, would drive the "progressives" in both parties into their own camp. That this was not all pretence may be judged from the abuse they now are heaping upon the heads of the Liberals for having g:ven notice of the termination of the "party truce." But their 'speech is not always a reliable indication of their thoughts and perhaps the promise of another democratic programme, as an alternative to their own, is occasioning them some alarm.

BUSINESS AND POLITICS.

Speilking at the annual luncheon of the Wellington Chamber of Comemrce yesterday the Hon. A. M. Myers, the acting Minister of Finance, made a strong appeal to business men to spare more time and attention from their own immediate affairs to those of the country and the community. Never bpfore, he s,aid, had New Zealand needed thfe- services of trained minds and capable hands so much as it did at the present time. There were the great problems of reconstruction to be solved —settlement, production, shipping, finance and the rest—and no man who withheld such assistance as he could give in their solution was doing his full duty, to the State or to himself. The farmers and the. workers were bearing their part in the "government, of the country cheerfully and on the whole very capably; but, speaking generally, the business men, from lack of thought or force of habit were holding back and missing their opportunity to remedy the defects and evils; of which they complained. He urged them there and then to play a more active part in the public life of the Dominion.

THE ABSENT MINISTERS. Though Sir James Allen has qualified his statement in regard to the return of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward to the Dominion by saying he knows nothing "at all definite" concerning the movements of his absent colleagues it is fairly safe to assume that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance will be in Wellington before the end of July. The indications are, indeed, that they will occupy the berths they "pencilled" some months ago by the steamer booked to leave Vancouver on June 21 and that they will be ready to meet Parliament early in August. There is some speculation here as to whether or not the "party truce" will be terminated before the sess.ion, bnt in well informed circles it is expected that the National Government will hold together till the dissolution takes place. Both Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward will have much to say and much to do that can bo said and done only from the Treasury benches. The parting of the ways will come when the members) return to their constituents.