WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 168, 16 July 1918, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

UtCENSING POLL. THE RUMOURED COMPROMISE. (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, July 15. Though tte liquor trade and its allies are just ac emphatic as the Prohibitionists are in denying the existence of a compromise between the two parties' in regard to the compensation proposals or the National Efficiency Board, there is a feeling abroad that prominent men on both sides would be glad to see the question put to the popular vote during the continuance of lie party truce. The Prohibitionists have conceded a good deal by subscribing to the principle ot compensation under any conditions, and the big men in the liquor trade have never denied the right of the State to take over their interests on a fair commercial basis. But the peril to the scheme is that the extremists on the prohibition side will consent only tol the extinction of the traffic, and that the Government will refuse to place on the country the financial burden this would involve. In any case there would be very great difficulty in arranging the details of the scheme in time for them to be submitted to the electors this year. It is generally understood that Parliament will meet about the middle of October, but there is no certainty that Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward will be back at the .beginning of the session, and without the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance the Cabinet scarcely would proceed to the settlement of the preliminaries. Then Parliament' would have to decide the form in which the question should be submitted to the electors, and it is eaey to see this task would occupy more than a week or two. Neither the Acting Prime Minister nor the Acting Minister of Finance would be likely to place any obstacles in the way. Indeed, both Sir James Allen and Mr Myers are credited with being favourably disposed towards the proposed referendum, but the question is too big to be decided in the absence of the party leaders. THE SECOND DIVISION. So far the ballot in Class B of the Second Division has not produced co many fit men as were expected. Up to June 22, 12,056 reservists ■in this class had been examined, and of these 709!) had been declared unfit, 2162 had appealed, and 2467 had 'been ordered into camp. The number of unfit, under the severer examination, wae not above the average, but the number of appeals was in excess of former experiences, and probably the exemptions under the new regulations in regard to the test man .on the farm and certain agricultural workers will be large. But the physique of the accepted men compares very favourably with that of previous drafts, and in other reepecte they promise to maintain the high standard of former reinforcements. The remaining classes of the Division contain 60,47« men, and, it is hoped, will be more than sufficient to eatisfy the requirements ot the Defence authorities during the war. THE COAL MINERS. The Coal Miners' Federation ie still pressing for a conference with the mine owners, ibut the owners steadfastly refuse to meet the Federation. They are prepared for the several companies to (meet the unions of the employees in their own mines, but further than thia they will not go. Their contention ie that, having offered the men substantially better terms than those they accepted for the course of the war, they have dealt with them generously, and cannot be reasonably expected to make further concessions. The men are demanding a further advance of 20 per cent in wages, and the employers' reply to this ie that if the men will apply themselves seriously to work under the new conditions they can earn this advance, without any undue effort. The Minister of Mines is watching developments, and is prepared to act in caee of emergency.