WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1919, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE COAL CRISIS, CONFERENCE BETWEEN OWNERS AND WORKERS. (From Our Special. Correspondent.) Wellington, August 4. The conference between representatives of the coal mine owners and of the coal mine workers is being continued to-day with what seems to be a rathe? better prospect of a satisfactory settlement than appeared possible when it adjourned on Saturday. The week-end gave both sides time and opportunity to ponder over the very weighty word* spoken by the Hon. W. D. S. McDonald, the Minister of Mines, on Friday, and from their general attitude they Beein somewhat better disposed towards an amicable arrangement, or, at any rate, towards discussing the points at issue in a more conciliatory spirit. Both on Friday and Saturday a good deal of angry feeling was disjjlayed and it was only the rare tact of Sir George Clifford in the chair that saved the conferenc« breaking up without any progress being made. FAULTS ON BOTH SIDES.

The miners made the tactical blunder of asking for more than they expected to receive and the owners in their reply the blunder of refusing concessions they at least might have considered. There was the usual amount of ''bluff" on both sides on Friday and Saturday, and, as each said to the othe< in more or less irritating language, some playing to the gallery; but this Was inevitable with the reporters present and the speakers bent upon justifying their case in j,he. eyes of the public. To-day, however, 4hc parties have got nearly clown to bed-rock and though it early to venture upon any prophecy the outlook is distinctly more oncouraging than it was on Saturday. SUPPLIES. Meanwhile a diversion has been created by Mr. Robert hemplc's assertion that there is abundance of coal for all railway purposes and his suggestion that the reduction of train services is merely a ruse to prejudice the workers in the eyes of the public. The member for Wellington South stated in effect on Friday that at Paekakariki there was abundance of coal, that Palmerston North was overflowing witli supplies, that. Cross Creek Junction could hold no more, that Martoa Junction and Taihape were in the same" condition, and that at Wellington station there were 3000 tons in the bins and yards. To this the General Manager now replies that at the time Mr, Semple made his statement there were no mpre than 0000 tons in all the railway depots from Auckland to Bluff, a stock scarcely sufficient to keep the reduced train service going for a fortnight. v PRIVATE NEEDS. The closest enquiries,have elicited no information that throws the slightest doubt upon Mr McVilly's statement of the position and one can only suppose Mr. Semple was' misled by the stories of hoarded coal that are fiyin« about everywhere. Similar stores have been told concerning the private supplies of fuel, but.there are few housewives in Wellington, at any rate, who will credit them for a single moment. Everyone's experience, so far as can ba ascertained, confirms the statements fliade by the Minister, of Supplies, the Hon. A. M. Myers, from lime to time. Coal is being doled out almost as if it were a precious metal and though tha Minister has supplemented the supply of fuel with coke and. firewood there are lots of well-to-do homes in the city faring as badly as are tho cottages on Te Aro Flat.