WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 24 January 1920, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE TRAMWAY FATALITY, ' 'THE (CORONER'S SUGGESTION. (Special Correspondent). Wellington, Jan, 21. On Monday the coroner concluded his investigations into the shocking tramway fatality which occurred here during the New Year holidays and yesterday he delivered his finding. This exonerates the killed motorman and the much shaken conductor from blame, and warmly eulogises the heroism of the killed passenger, James Evans, who lost his life in an attempt to assist the motor man to avert the terrible catastrophe tli§it followed. But the coroner finds in the evidence suggestions for greater precautions than the authorities have yet exercised. In effect they are that the existing regulations should be strictly enforced, that the conductors should be more fully instructed in the mechanism of the cars, that over-crowd-ing should be prohibited, that motor men should be medically examined at .reasonable intervals and that additional break power should be installed. The need for most of these precautions has been Obvious enough to observant people for a long time past, but the fact that the tramways are controlled by the City Council has led to the public putting up with management that never would have been tolerated from private enterprise. CHEERFUL POLITICIANS. The caucus of the Liberal Party held here this afternoon was preceded by a luncheon tendered by the members of the party to Sir Joseph Ward, to which a number of intimate friends and the representatives of the Press were invited. The proceedings were of a most genial and cheerful nature, quite unlike what one might have expected from a gathering of dispirited politicians, and if there were differences of opinion among the hosts, heart-burnings and recriminations, they were reserved for the business meeting that was to follow. From what' the speakers had to say about the Liberal Party in connection with the recent elections it would seem that it had won a great victory in the constituencies, having polled practically the same number of votes as the Reformers and having in reserve, so to speak, some 120,000 Labor votes, which, as Xme gentleman put it, were if anything more against the Governmennt than the Liberal votes. On the figures there certainly appeared to be some ground for the complacency of the company, but figures, of course, will not meanwhile impair 'the Reform, majority. THE SAMOAN TRIP. A good deal of light and airy -fun is being made of the Samoan Parliamentary trip, which many people will persist in regarding as a political party jaunt, which will cost the country anything from A 120.000 to £40,000 without bringing profit of any kind eit.ler to the Dominion or to the "mandated" islands. The idea is said to have emanated from Sir James Allen, who, in view of the responsibilities and dignities awaiting him in London, might have been excused had he arranged to spend at the'country's expense, two or three months in making himself familiar with the position in the jouth-eastern Pacific, but Sir James is such a stickler for efficiency and strict economy that one can scarcely think of him heading a mere string of sight-seeing holidaymakers. Dr. Pomare much better fitted for a role of this description, and probably he could be better spared than the Minister of Defence and Finance, who will have a vast amount of work to do between this and the meeting of Parliament. THE COAL SHORTAGE. Though the local papers are telling their readers that the coal famine is less acute than it was a few weeks ago, few householders are feeling any improvement in the position. Orders for small supplies given a month or more ago still are unexecuted, and in many homes a coal fire has not been seen since long before Christmas. People who have been dealing with the State Coal Depot, whose charges are somewhat lower than those of the private dealers, are faring particularly badly. They cannot get coal from the depot, and, in many cases, they are refused supplies from the dealers because they are not "regular customers." The sufferers, mostly, are working people, who buy in very small parcels at any time, cariying the coal away themselves, and their custom does not seem "worth while" to the average retailer. These circumstances have given rise to the complaint that the State Depot is no, longer" run in the interests of the small consumer, even to the length of keeping prices down, but the real explanation appears to be that the merchants are proving much more enterprising than the State in obtaining supplies and that they are looking after their customers much more vigorously.. The experience of the last twelve months will lead a good many Wellington people to somewhat modify their condemnation of private enterprise in connection with the coal supply.