WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14041, 26 April 1920, Page 7

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

(Special to the Oamarn Mail.)

THE COAL SHORTAGE STILL ACUTE.

WELLINGTON, April 23. It is now six or seven weeks since the Prime Minister stated to an interviewer acute stage of the coal shortage was over, and that the agreementmade at the conference between the mine-owners and the men would make for the gradual restoration of normal conditions. But to the ordinary householder who has not yet experienced any of the relief he was'promised coal is as difficult to obtain as ever it was, and the cost of cartage is steadily increasing. It is true the State Depot is receiving cash orders for small quantities without putting its. customers through the ordeal of standing in a queue for -hours together; but it is not committing itself to any time for delivery, and many people have been without an ounce of coal for weeks.; The private dealers simply smile at tbe stranger who comes to them with his money in his hand and asks as a favor for half. a. sack of coal.

ABOUT. THE AGREEMENT

As . the improvement in the position was to be produced by. a. better, understanding between the Mine-Owners' Association and.the Miners' Federation, lit is not reassuring to learn frem Mr J. Arbuckle, one of the representatives of 'the men, that this midersta.iiding has not been reached. "Fully a dozen unions," he said this morning, "are unable to procure the increases of wages granted under the national agreement. The mine-owners are doing everything in their power to prevent the miners from procuring the rates of pay set out under the national agreement. The State mine authorities are the only ones that have met the men fairly and settled things in jiccordance with the agreement. If ;a settlement is not made within' the next few weeks by 'the private coal companies there very likely will mn a recurrence of the trouble." The Executive of the Federation expresses the strongest desire to preserve the peace, but it is not at all certain about the attitude of the men if the whole position has to be reviewed.

THE EMPLOYERS' VIEW

A representative of the Mine-Owners' Association seen this morning made Light of Mr Arbuckle's* asertions. There are a few outstanding points in the interpretation of the agreement between the owners and the men that were not yet quite. settled/ he said, but they throughout had tried to deal with these in a conciliatory spirt, and were at least as anxious as Mr Arbuckle professed to be to preserve the' peace and remove the inconveniences the public were suffering. The coal shortage was due to a variety of circumstances, but the one that could be most easily removed was the "go slow" policy, limiting the rate and vol.linie of production. If the men would make up their minds to do the best they could for themselves they very soon would be doing the best for the community, and while earning big wages would be relieving much of the inconvenience and loss they now are inflicting upon individuals and upon the industries of the country. i\ THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES. Meanwhile the Government is accepting the Association's view of the matter, and, though dealing fairly with the men, insisting upon __the terms of the agreement being observed. The Prime Minister left far Auckland yesterday afternoon to meet the Prince of Wales in the Northern City, and during the next few weeks will be engaged mainly with the entertainment of the Dominion's royal guest, but he has a fully equipped office travelling with him, and while joining in the social and public festivities proper to the occasion will keep an alert eye upon the developments in the coal situation. The general opinion is that the miners are not Seeking trouble, and that the deferences, between them and the authorities are so trivial a mutually satisfactory settlement should be reached I without any serious difficulty. Needless to say, the coalless public regard | this as a consummation devoutly to bo wished.