WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 February 1921, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

THE COAL DISPUTE. . TOWARDS A (Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Jan. 31. Mr. Massey at las’t has succeeded in bringing the parties to the coal dispute to some sort of reason. Whether or not it is the kind of reason that leads towards a settlement remains to be seen, but the position is more encouraging to-day than it has been for some weeks past. Subject to the approval of the executive of the Coal Mine-owners’ Association and the executive of the Miners’ Federation, the question in dispute will be referred to a tribunal consisting of one representative of the mine-owners, one representative of the miners and a chairman recommeneded by the Prime Minister. On the setting up of the committee the go-slow policy will be discontinued. Mr. Massey expects this arrangement to be accepted by both par* ties, and is hopeful of normal work at the mines being resumed by the end of the present week. NOT OUT OF WOOD. Though the deadlock has been materially improved by the Prime Minister’s intervention, it is. too early yet to assume that the trouble is. over. The mine-owners are no better disposed than they were a week ago towards the usurption of the management of the mines by the men, and the miners express themselves as determined as ever to see that the man Henderson, whose dismissal from the Blackball mine has been the cause of the whole trouble, obtains redress. However, the committee tentatively appointed is to have power to inquire into the circumstances of the Henderson case and with the exercise of “sweet reasonableness” on both sides the incident should not prove an insuperable barrier to a speedy settlement. BUTTER. There has been a feeling abroad here for some time past that on the expiration at the end of March of the arrangement by which the Imperial Government takes New Zealand's exportable surplus of butter there will be a sharp decline in price. Under the Government's subsidy scheme retailers are able to sell butter at 2s 3d a pound, but some of them are selling at as low as 2s Id and predicting a still lower price in the near future. Though the chairman o-f the New Zealand Dairy Association, a very high authority on the subject, of course, is declaring there can be no drop before the Imperial Government’s contract expires, and not necessarily then, the shopkeepers take the view that with the big stocks and weak market at Home, there is bound to be a decline here within the next few weeks. SOLDIER SETTLERS. The dairymen on the whole have had a very excellent season, and the rain which came with the New Year seems likely to keep them milking and receiving good cheques till well on in the autumn. But some of the small men, among whom a number of soldier settlers must be included, have not been making the fortunes attributed to them. The returned men are not given to complaining, but from statements made at the recent meeting of the Dominion executive of the Farmers’ Union in Wellington it would seem that a proportion of them have had a very hard task in making ends meet. They have settled on high-priced land, which means high rents, and with the necessarily restricted assistance given to them by the Government they have not in all cases been able to turn their holdings to the best account. A substantial decline in the price of butter would be the last straw in a very heavy load.