WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 May 1917, Page 8

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

TELEGRAMS

AFTER THE WAR.

THE DISBANDED ARMY

Special Correspondent-) WELLINGTON, May I). I u a ca refu Ily prepa red "i n t erview" published in the local papers this morning" the Hon. A. I L. Hordman, the Minister controlling the Dicharged Soldiers' Department, sets out in considerable detail the arrangements it is proposed to make for the reabsorption of the Dominion's Army into civilian life after the war-" The main purpose _ of the Attorney-General in framing his ' scheme has been to make the way of tho returned soldier to congenial and profitable employment ' sure and easy and to avoid the , congestion in the labour market which inevitably would occur if men were dumped down in their." 'thousands w'ithout adequate proi para<ions being made for their reception. Of course, the Minister is looking a kmy way ahead, but a problem of this magnitude cannot be attacked too early. MARCH JXG UCftU'l When and how the men will return no one can say. Everything will depend upon tho duration of the war and the transport facilities available- But Mr Hordman, recognising one of the great difficulties of his task, suggests that the men should be sent back gradually and by drafts at regular intervals. Quito probable this method will be forced on the authorities, whether they like it or not, by the scarcity of tonnageWhen peace is declared shipping will bo required for a hundred urgent purposes, and a year or more will be occupied in repatriating the colonial troops', even if they are freed from their active military duties. Still, some such arrangement as the Minister has suggested would be highly desirable and the Mother Country can be trusted to consult tho wishes of the Dominions. LABOUR UNREST. There still are critics who look with strong disfavour upon the "compact" made between the Government and the West Coast miners in regard to the "go slow" strikers, but events appear to be justifying the policy of .the authorities and bringing the great majority of the workers to a better frame of mind- Probably tho result of the Federal elections has had something to do with the latter manifestation- Some of tho more restless spirits. whose rapacity for deceiving themselves is simply colossal, had counted on the Australia)!) electors declaring against the Labour-Liberal coalition, but in view of the irreconcilubles' defeat they are assuming a verv submissive a<r- They even fear the "calamity" of conscription may overtake the Commonwealth. Till: COAL TROUBLEThe Acting-Prime Minister is again Irving to make it clear to the public that apart from any difficulty arising out of the miners' vagaries it is of importance to exercise economy in the use of coal- The demands of the railways, the transports and the ordina'rv shipping are so great and the stocks in hand so low that very real inconvenience might be occasioned by waste or extravagance- Sir -Tames Allen, who long ago ceased to be the pessimist of the Ministry, does not expect any further trouble with the miners, but he is tearful lest the public, seeing all the mines at work, should imagine the need for prudence and preparation had disap- ' peared-

THE RAILWAYS AND THE WAR. KECRUITS. (Special Correspondent- ) WELLINGTON, May IIThe case o! the raihvaymen was before the Military Service Board again vesterdav when Mr It- WMcVilfy, the 'assistant goneral manager, announced that a departmental ballot had resulted in 150 of the men drawn in the regular ballot being released for immediate service. These men would be made available atonce and further, ballots would be taken when it was fouhd others could be spared- Captain Baldwin, the representative of the military authorities, expressed some surprise that only .so small a number should be available, and Mr McVilly retorted by quoting the figures already published showing the Railway Department had contributed 8,335 men to the Ex-

peditionarv Force- The places of GOOD of these men had been filled and 2000 remained vacant-

FURTHER CONTRIBUTION S

There was n pretty. Utile passage at anus between the military representative and the assistant general manager concerning the efforts of the Jiaihvay Department to do its duty in the great national erisi., Captain Baldwin pointing out that OHO men of the Virst Division were remaining "under the shelter of the Department," and Mr MeVilly warmly resenting tlie suggestion that he and his colleagues were' not: anxious that every man who could he spared should go into camps Ultimately the Board adjourned the appeals that had been made on behalf of 247 men for a month and ordered that'the 150 men drawn in the departmental ballot should nave an opportunity to tippeal in their own districts. Mr MeYilly undertook that the place of any of the 1.50 men rejected or exempted would be tilled. 'J'HE STATIC COAL MINKSThe Cabinet has not yet considered the offer made by a Canterbury Svndicalc to purchase the State coal mines, and is not likely to do so till Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward return to the Dominion, but the Acting-Prime Minister, probably provoked into an expression of opinion by the recent troubles fomented by a section of the coal miners and their irresponsible frineds, has stated that these-mines ought to be made to pay. "It is not fair," he said to a reporter last night, "that the ordinary taxpayer should be taxed to make up the loss-" The matter is not open for discussion just now. but there are a great many people bore who sironglv dissent from Sir James Allen's view that tlie Stale Mines have been unfairly competing with priv.aU) enterprise. COST UK LIVINGTl is scarcely necessary to quoin statistics to the average housewife to satisfy her that in spite of tlie eorts of the Government and tlie Board of Trade, the cost of living continues to mount up with the prolongation of the war, but tlie latest figures issued by the Government Statistician present the facts in a concrete form. These show that in the three food groups —groceries, dairy produce, and meat —given articles which in the four chief centres cost 20s before the war advanced between the December quarter of 1916 and the March quarter of 191.7 as follows: Auckland 2Gs 5d to 20s lid. Wellington 26s 3d to 27s sd. Christchurch 25s lid to 26s 4d, Dunedin 25s 4<l to 25s Bd, Gisbornc 28s 3d to 28s 4d, Napier 26s 7<l to 27s Bd, New Plymouth 25s lid to 27s 3d, Wanganui 26s 9(1 to 28s, Taihape 27s lid to 29s 3d, Palmerston North 26s 5(1 to 27s 4(1,' Blenheim 25s 2d to 26s Bd, Greymouth 27s 2d to 27s 5(1, Ash burton 25s lid to 26s 2d, Timaru 25s 7,d to 26s 2d, Oamaru 26s 8d to 28s id, lnvercargill 26s 5d to 26s lid. Apparently Dunedin is now offering the cheapest • food, with Timaru.- Ashburtou, Nelson, and Christchurch following in that creditable order, while Taihape, Gisborne. Oamaru and Wanganui stand at the other end of the scale-