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Timaru Herald, Volume CVIII, Issue 16882, 1 August 1919, Page 6

According to . its General Manager the, Baihvay Department will require a 'supply of from 15,000 to 20,000 tons of coal a week for -six or" seven weeks, from which to build up reserves, be- • fore the train restrictions can be appreciably reduced. That is almost a desperate outlook. Before tlie war, ■ according to the statement made by the Hon. Mr Myers, the Department was not getting more than 24,000' tons a month. For. the. first six months of this year it got an average of 21,000 tons.. Mr \Myers hoped 1 that, with tliG aid .of importations; 60,000 tons would ; be -available tliis month for t«ie railways, but his estimate cannot haw been realised, or the stocks would not bo still falling despite the reduced services. More coal is coming to baud but not more hard coal, which the railways require. Pljlinly it is no use looking to Australia, where the seamen's strike lias received a new lease of life on the great issue that Mr j -Thomas ."Walsh should bo abovo the laws: The difficulties of tho Government, arc not hard to imagine. If It sent more men to the mines under any inducenients Riven for a season. -- tho present truckers , and ■ surface men would have first claim to work them, and-more, could not be paid to surface men. tiuin to -underground' workers. Nationalisation offers no remedy, . aa there arc not fewer strikes, at the State than other mines. But ■ the problem of gfetting -more coal from supplies whieli undoubtedly- exist cannot be without a solution, , and itho j Government .must solve.it, if the country is not' to be; put to ..-highly.-'serious loss -as well- as inconvenience." - Tho Afghan has at least a sense of humour. Pity is lie applies it as the wrong time. Tribal delegates to the Afghan Peace Conference have informed- the., British-Commander that i the friendship .of Great Britain- to Afghanistan is not so essential as tlia friendship of Afghanistan to Great Britain The Afghans can find allies .JgWho will make' a British victory no : easj- task. If Britain has the advantage now of the big battalions,- Ger- - many had at: the commencement of the • great war. This is. indeed rich. The ant who asked the elephant' who. he was shoving did not make the assault ■ first and - then vaunt his force. : Tho c-nly thing more ludicrous is the alliI anco said to have been formed between ! the Ttussian Leninj the very latest i "Libertad," and an Oriental despot.- • "VVe shall have to spank Afghanistan, ! perhaps to take control of it, or place iit under the League of Nations. It ' will be a disagreeable necessity. How little the British Empire has had - designs against the proper freedom of its unruly people is. shown by the.facu that it has fought two wars witli them, and never thought of annexing . their country.The British : and the > late Ameer were the best of friend s_ but the Afghans will not have that state of things continue. i Something like our. Afghan trouble is annoying the Spaniards in Morocco. Raisnli. who has cut off aiid massacred a Spanish: column, is a well-known desperado. Sevbnteen years ago he vn.s making trouble as a'bandit. Then, defying the Sultan's power, fie made . himself Governor of a considerable district; and a Franco-Spanish demonstration was required to depos.e him after outrages on Europeans and native;. Twelve years ago he captured a Britisn ■ official, Sir Harry (Kaid) Maclean, . who was ransoiiied at a cost of £20,000 to the .British Government. Recently lie was an agent of German intrigiies. Raisuli, therefore, has had an exciting | not unimportant career. It rail Ls strange if Ins latest audacity does not , prove to be the end of it. Two Enro- ■ peaiv Powers, not to mention the Sul- | tari of Morocco, have had mucii reai son to bs tired of him..