WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1920, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

POLITICAL RIGHTS. KAILWAYMEN'S PROTEST. i (Special Correspondent,) Wellington, Sept. 27. It seems from a motion adopted by the Thorndon branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants yesterday that the Prime Minister was scarcely speaking by the book when he assured the House of Representatives a few days ago that there was no occasion for Mr. Wilford's demand for the concession of full civil and political rights to Civil Servants. The members of the Thorndon branch declare that the Tule railwayraen have to observe is that under pain of dismissal they must take no active part in politics beyond recording their votes. The Chaiman of Committee appears to have been no better informed than the Prime Minister was upon the point, he having given as a reason for recording his casting vote against Mr. Wilford'a demand his "Understanding" that the men already had the rights the leader of the Opposition was seeking for them. THE ACTUAL POSITION, It does not follow, of course, that Mr. Massey deliberately sought to mislead the House. This question of the political rights of Civil Servants had been before the House many times before. Sir Harry Afjrinson, Sir George Grey, Mr. Ballance, Mr. Seddon, Sir Joseph Ward, and Mr. Massey himself all had done something to lighten the restrictions placed upon Government employees in this respect. By comparison with the rules and regulations enforced years ago the present system may have appeared to the Prime Minister as absolute freedom. /But, as a matter of fact, it is freedom enjoyed by s the grace of the Minister in charge of the particular department concerned, and this is no longer sufficient to satisfy the libertyloving Civil Servant. Whether or not the liberty to which he aspires would be good 'for himself and for the public service is a question which admits of many differences of opinion. MR. MASSEY'S CHIEF ASSET. Members of the House of Representatives had a "night out," so to speak, on Friday, when, exercising the ancient privileges of Parliament, they made the introduction of the usual monthly Imprest Supply Bill an excuse for talking upon every subject under the sun for the space of eight or nine hours. At one stage Mr. Massey, in eulogising the chairman' of the Buller County Council, said he would like to see tliis gentleman in the House, but, he hastened to add, not at the expense of any of the sitting members. "Not even the member for Buller?" one of the humorists of the House inquired. "Not even the member for Buller," the Minister answered with admirable gravity. "I should think not. He's the best asset you have in the House," Mr. Masters rapped out, and the occupants of the Liberal benches marked their ready concurrence with the judgment of the young man from Stratford. THE REFORMED COUNCIL.

Though no one can doubt the sincerity of Sir Francis Bell in declaring that he will be no party to the killing of the legislative Council Act, which provides for the'application of the elective principle under the system of proportional representation to the Upper House, it is an open secret that several of his colleagues are very far from being keen in their support of the measure. Sir Francis lias a knack of getting his own way in the Cabinet, and he probably will manage to do so in the present instance, but it is not unlikely the Act will be amended in some particulars before it becoMes actively operative. A simpler method of counting the votes and some measure of representation for the Government of the day in the Cabinet are two changes thjit have been foreshadowed. THE COAL CRISIS. AN ULTIMATUM. .Wellington, Sept. 29. The statement made by the Prime Minister in the. House in.regard to the coal position, amounting to an ultimatum to the.men employed in the State mines, surprised no one. Mr. Massey has been protecting for some weeks past that the irritating, tactios of the men could l not be tolerated indefinitely, and apparently the reported insistence. of the miners at Ruranga' upon travelling first class on the train' that carries them to their work with second class tickets has finally exhausted , his patience. He has given the men to understand that if they will not maintain a reasonable effort to obtain the coal the Dominion requires, then other arrangements will have to be made. This is taken to mean that if the men do not abandon their present tactics they will be "locked out" and given no opportunity to work in the mines at' all. ' ■ A GRAVE POSITION. The determination of the men 3s awaited* with much interest and some anxiety. There is an impression abroad that the Government has made better arrangements for carrying on public services and industrial concerns in the event of a stoppage of supplies of coal from the mines than is generally known. But if stocks of fuel have been accumulated they are not visible to the casual observer. Only last week it was reported that a cut in the railway services would have been necessary had not a cargo of coal arrived opportunely from Australia. sßut against this is the fact that excursion trains continue to •be run to race meetings—two were dispatched to Otaki only yesterday—and the further fact that no special economies have been imposed upon large consumers. That the position is grave, however, everyone admits. • RIVAL PARTIES. Mr. McComts was quite serious when claiming in the House yesterday that Mr. H. E. Holland should be dubbed Leader of the Opposition, and that the members of the Official Labor Party should be. awarded the benches now occupied by the Liberals. The member for Lyttelton, who as Whip doubtless spoke by direction of the other members of his party, based his claim on the assumption that only seven members voted for the appointment of Mr. Wilford to the position ho now occupies, and that the difference between the views and aspirations of the Liberals and those of the Reformers was simply the difference between twcedle-dum and tweedle-dee. But the Speaker had been officially advised that Mr. Wilford had been elected Leader of the Gp. position, and he could not see his way *J3 go behind the authority. Apart from

this ruling, however, Mr. Wilford's fofc lowing in the Hoime puts Mr. MfOomba* contention out of court. LEGISLATIVE OOUNOL.B^DRH, The Legislative Council act of Wl» which was designed to make the Upper House elective and so give effect to ax* Massey's election pledges, was again)* before the Chamber immediately cos* cerncd yesterday. This time the nropo« sal was to postpone the date on' which the Act should come into'operation tf that Parliament might have an ojuor* tUnity to further consider its provision*, Some of the Councillors were-' SUspU* ious of the course outlined, by fill* Francis Bell, fearing that its adoption might commit them to its main print ciplcs but the Attorney-General WM able to reassure them on. thin . point, and the proposal was put down for dl*« cussioiTon the following day. The prtt sent position of the Act is becoming' 4 jest in Parliament, as it probably is in the constituencies, and unless Sir Jt*n». Cis Bell firmly intervenes the measure may disappear from the Statute Boob altogether,