AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17729, 13 September 1919, Page 7

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

(Fbom Our Own Correspondent.) ah n SYDNEY, September 4. -ftJl the jiuhlicit.y ex[ierts in tlio coui.try sc-eill to havo been mobilieed to rush througn ~ | Australian war loan, of £20,003,(/A) i< I s knovn as tho Peace J^oan' If muai Dinging of tho big drum will tlio loan eubscribed to, it will bo done easily but proapccts at l resent are not good. All tho old doyines have boon adopted, inc-ro aro oig paLited signs in ovory town and every street. TJjo Btamping machines in every post office carry an appeal for su'bicriptions. Money is being poured out ou advertising space in tho newspapers, and e\ cry man with a flxod address is receiv nig circulars. On© man who lacked originality, tried to start tho Lord Mayors of ydney and Melbourne saying rude things to ono another as to whoso city woukl raise tiio most money, but the effort so far hjs fallen flat. Tho two princir>al new "wheezes," as 7 S Ta callocl . aro the issue of buttons and the uso of aeroplanes. Aeroplanes aro being sent to mos; of tho capitals and important country towns, where their mis s.on vnll bo to do stunts and, having caught ■'<> attention of tho populace, to shower upon it leaflets advertising tho loan. Tlio buttons aro being issued to every subscriber, the idea being that every man who looks as ;f ho owned something and dees nou display a button shall bo held up to Public execration. It is possible to buy war loan bond 3 in tho open market it about 4 per cent, ur.der par—so it is unlikely that tho peace loan will bo fully subscribed without an application of the compulsory machinery provided for earlier loans and not used. It is announced that if it is uocessary to uso compulsion, those who will be compelled tc subsenbo will also be severely penalised; so it is possible that tho fear of such penalty will jet bring the £20,000,000 to the treasury. So far kittle interest has been shown in trie new loati and the applications for boi'ds' havo not been encouraging. BROKEN HILL MINES It is now almost four months since t'a Broken Hill mines became idle as tho resuit of a strike, and there is no prospect of an early resumption of work. Recently i owing to tho exha*ist;on of stocks of concentrates sent forward from Broken Hili, | tho Pert Pirn smelters ceased operations, ■ a ■^ ro ' :cn Hill and Port Pine there | are 8000 men unemployed. j -Tho strike at present is directed against j the system of arbitration ior tiio sectle- \ rr.ent of industrial d:r?putes. When it com- : monced,,however, it v/as the outcome cf a fjutrrel between ur.ions—the federated ; Lngine-drivers Association arid the Cer-.i- ---| iicfated Engine-drivers Association. The j members of tlieso rival bodies refused to work with one another. The Labour which controls most of Broken Hill, the A.M.A.—Amalgamated Metalliferous Association took the side of tho militant ho'iy,the Gertilicatcd Association. Tho PederatetJ Association sought the help of the more icoderate Tradas and Labour Council—and in no timo at all tho mines were idle and the two unions wero fighting it out. Finidly, their differences were sufficiently reconciled to permit of tho resumption -f j work. i'hen tho A.M.A. found that the i award under wliich it was working »viis about to expire, and it decided not to resume until miners were granted a five-day week, with a six hours bank-to-kank '<iy, and a wage of £1 a day for all men and boys. The mining companies would not grant s;ioh outrageous demands, and suggested that tlio whole matter bo referred to the Arbitration Court. The miners would not listen to the suggestion of the Arbitration Court. Tho A.M.A. is notoriously in

favour of dircot action, and it will bo surrendering all its holds most dear when it goes to tho court. That is the position to-day. Tho employers stand for the court and tho A.M.A. against it. and neither sido shows tho least sign yet of giving way. Now that the more important shipping strike is out of the way, and coal supplies are available, it is probable that an effort will be made to end the trouble. There is nmch lawlessness in Broken Hill. It will l,e remembered that the biggest mino tliero was recently set on five and fo damaged that it will not be m full operation again for a year. This bit. of sabotage will deprive at least 2000 men cf work for that period. SYDNEY DAILIES INCREASE THEIR CHARGES. Tho price of both the Sydney morning newspapers, tho Sydney Morning Herald and tho Daily Telegraph, lias been incroased from Id to ljd per copy. The main reason given by tho managements of the papers concerned is the greatly increased cost cf printing paper. The Herald management states that it has been reluctant to make tho increase and lias refrained from tak'ng the step as long as possible, although the Australian press Lis been almost tho only one in ihe world to carry on through tllf war at the old rates. Added to the cost o» printing, it states, wore the increased prices ot all other materials, including ail-round ircreases in wages. Advertisers had already bean asked to pay more for thcr space, and the Herald maintains that it would not be possible nor fair to place the additional extra cost on th-em or on the proprietary. Tlin Sunday and the evening newspapers remain for the present ai their former prices.