SOME CRITICISMS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 399, 7 January 1909, Page 6

SOME CRITICISMS.

PRIME'MINISTER'S STAGGERING LOAD. SHOULD MINISTRZ BE INCREASED? i " (by TELEGKAPH-rPaESS VASSOCUTIbH.).. . Christchurohj January 6. Messrs. 11. Davcy and G. Witty, ,M-.P.'s, •were seen this' afternoon by a "Iruth" reporter, in'regard to ■tho'Cabinet appointments; •but;neither had-any. comment; .to offer. • Mr. T. E. Taylor, the memb.er .for .Christchurch •North, wlieu. spoken : to.; on the matter of tfo' new Cabinet appointments/.'said that he 1 would prefer ,to say nothing ! at;-all ".until. the House met. He could:only exjjress surprise that so large a number.. of'appointments .had been made, : Sir Joseph and the "Lands Department. Interviewed on .the-new Cabinet appointments, "Mr. G. AV. Russell, ,-the' : ;member for Avon, said that the greatest surprise in: Connection . with-.the appointments; was that' Sir "\yard had,found', to take over the Departm6nt ;of Lands and: Agriculture while .still ;retaining ;the' ; Treasurership and the Postal': and : Telegraph:/ Departments, as well ff"s that of Defence. It';appe'ared surprising that, among tho large number of his followers,'totalling '45, the; Prime Minister had -been unable to 'seleot -a' /Miiiis'ter.- ;fpr Lands and Agriculture.'; .Of" cou'rsp, • during Mr. Seddon's regime, hoheld, after. Sir John Mackenzie's death, tho Land for • Settlement Department in his own hands, at any rate so far'as'the purchases-of-estates .were concerned.' ' i.-. , ■•"• I'When ono looks, .down ■ the list of Ministers," .continued Mr. Russell, "and sees how small an amount-of'work is; placed upon some of tho holders of portfolios, the staggering burden which Sir Joseph Ward has taken upon himself is a complete , surprise; Neither

do I think it is possible to add to the burden that he carries-as; Prime: Minister and Post-' master-General, the work which occupied two big, strong men like Mr. Seddon and Sir John Mackenzie. ■ ' The New Blood. "With regard to the gentlemen -who have ' v been called to the Cabinet,'there can be no doubt that; Mr. H. M'Kenzie,'who has . previous.experience, as a contractor,, arid. has a long Parliamentary experierioe,. should make an admirable_ Minister for Public Works arid -Mines. 'I think it is.a ; great pity that Mr. Millar, who, -as Minister -for Labour .has,'. I believe, commanded the confidence of the en-, ; tire community, should have been .compelled to'abandon that, position. Itis, be, a--pure'experiment l .-'to- ''place- -Mr.'Hogg' -"jV charge of. the important Department of/. Labour, and at the present juncture it looks remarkably, like ; swapping horses in the " midst of the stream. ; 1 ' , "I am very: pleased that the claim of .Can-;.; terbury to: a Minister- in. the Cabinet' in sue-' cpssion to Mr. Hall-Jones has been rccog-' nised,. and,l think', that there, will be little. ,' ! objection. to Mi - .'; Buddo 'as Minister for. the. Departriients that; have been placed.'in. . hands, -as he is _ well respected. : noti . only., ;through the-province but also by.-the members generally of the Liberal party. • No Salary—but Emoluments. .. '.'^ ÜblicUblic criticism will no doubt concentrate V" itself upon . the, appointment of .two gentle- ■ out pay;to the Cabinet in Mr. Thos. M Kenzie J\gata. l I presume that, ™ the prece'lent set. in the case, of the late r * Walker, -these gentlemen,-Val-' though not. receiving . pay as Ministers, will .clraw; the full travelling allowanco,'-. whioh" I' ;think is 30s. per " day, , for every . day tliey> „ are. away from; their ;homes; and corise-' - quently their emoluments : for travelling ex- - 1 pe'rises plus their honorarium, will, be' at the' rate of £847 10s. per annum. , : ! "The important point, however, is that in. 'accepting, the .positions they effect a sub- , staritial mortgage, upon the next two va-. ; caricies- that may" occur.;in the Ministry,, or ,the ; Goye'rnriient will, :in .the alternative, posV ; sibly.i bring down; legislation to increase -.the";; ;' number of the, members of. the Ministry. The. •important .question',that is .to; be considered: : by Parliament.: will-, bo . whether ; it is neces-. '■ sary. .that r further Ministers should ,\be- , appointed. '.Assuming that, the Ministry, oon-, sists. of the most /able. men that can. .be' :; provided by-the-party in power,- and that theloffices.: are' fairly, distributed over those;'. who are oalled to the Cabinet, it is,, I think,-a . open to question whether tiyo further appointments .to the Ministry are necessary, y.:. ■ '.1 :f,:. ■ : 1: ■ - ■ rv.' Mr. Ngata as Flnanoler. "A good deal of comment will no doubt be riiade : . at VtHe'-inclusion ; of Mr.' Ngata under . the circumstances. He has been in Parliament only -three yearsj-.-'is quite a young 1 man/': arid "represents' a -Maori; constituency. -- iWere the position occupied by the Hon';- J.' Carroll as Minister -for Native .Affairs-!va-- , cant, no doubt Mr. Ngata's elevation to the Ministry for the special benefit of his own" race would be very desirable/ but' it certainly; comes as-a surprise'to find a .young inan" ,with only three years .of."Parliainentary ex T ;- 1 perience' being charge' of two great fiharicial'' Departments' likestho Public' Tru'st'i. : and Government ■' mous sums of " money passing/ through their, hands for investment every year,;' and'which' require a highly-trained financial intellect for 1 their accurate, management.; .I.ido; not; think ; jmyself, that'', theV appointments - the; Primo Minister , has.': made will' create , any;, strong . ■;.- feeling, amongst; the general body of. ; the' 1. . Liberal ,party,'.neither;will,they ; ,awake any;.great "erithusias'm. . -Evidently "Sir.'. Joseph Ward feels that the chief, responsibility; ';of ; | supporting the'Minist'ry'is-placed:ujpoii .him-,'' self,' and'he is doing it." ' ' ■■■'■ MR. MASSEY COMMENTS. ' AN ATTEMPT TO PLEASE TOO MANY. PROBABLE DISSOLUTION. !. . tax . TXLXGBAI'H-rPBESS .'ABSOCIXTION.I -• •" - ■ Auokland, January 6.. v -Interviewed.late to-night .upon the;person ' inel of tho-new- Cabinet; : Mr.- ;W. F. Massey, l . . Leader of the Opposition/who had-not,- .up-;t^th'e'tiiri.6-6f, 'b'ur!.representati'fre'^Tisife i ~ colne aware of-the charifeeSji said that the" . [appointments- came - as' v a; 'siitprise ;to '.-hiiny:' " 'just as he supposed they-would'hare come as': :a;:Surprise;tqVmost^'jjieople'. \ v^': " , "I-think;" said Mr.-Massey;'.'the appoint- 1 mentsiiridicate the difficultythe Premier has ' had in ! filiing;up,the vacancies in the Cabinet.; v I•:::am' -perhaps..' inore; /'surprised-.' at;! -Mr.l . M'Gowan's withdrawal and resignation-than anything, elso that has taken place. - v This-.. seems-to'.me to, indicate'that' he for ,orie : is= not .satisfied with;the .new.' order'-o'f('things,:/ and I really do not wonder that;such;iß the' . case. • ' : .

■ Mr. Hogg and the Flour Duty. "As for their political principles, I cannot, understand by'whatreasoningthe"new"men, hate been chosen. Mr. "Hogg, for,instance,",' is' almost what Sir Joseph Ward called, a: revojutionary. Socialist. In noticing Mr.' Hogg's appointment as -Ministerffo r Customs, - . I', cannot help .recollecting that in the ; last Parliament he was the most strenuous advocate for taking -the'.duties off. 1 flour, wKeatifLand other cereals. Whether. 1 the. responsibili--, ties of office will modify-his views on'these' '■matters or not remains to be< seen. I pro-: diet,. '.moreover,-; .very(■ lively ; times' for' - the 1 Labour Department :with Sir. Hogg at thehead of. it. :.;-:■; - Individualists'and Collectlvlsts. ■" The' two M'Kenzies are individualists, ahdliow'they'will;'workon'the land, question J, with such men as Messrs. Fowlds and.Hogg i —one an extreme 'single taxerand.'the; other.;, an extreme land nationaliser—T cannot : pos-, sibly : imagine.Mr. ,'Buddo's. politics are not J ■particularly : .well .- defined, ; and ' I have.' ho doubt he will: find himself reiidy to "go with ;the majority, in, whatever; direction it;' feels : inclined to travel." •.' ■'■V .' .; .- Set-Back for Native Land Settlement. "Mr. Ngata has. always been dead against the', settlement ."of"; the : Native, lands .by;. "European. settlers, except^as'tenants of Native landlords,, and I take, it his appointment , ; means that there- will . be, 'no satisfactory : settlement' of the. Natiye. ; lands while; he- is.' a member of tho Executive. The;taking-: oyer by Sir Joseph Ward.pf the Departments of Land and Agriculture can only bo a temporary: arrangement,. as gentleman. ; has V : no knowledge of the details of either ;ono or, the other. As regards Mr.' Millar taking ; over tho Department of Railways, I think. that; out,of, the presenti; Cabinet" he .is; pro.,': bably the man best fitted to. the position: '0. Cabinet of Conflicting Elements. " I cannot imagine," said , the Leader of • the Opposition, " how a Cabinet composed of 'so many. conflicting elements, .'Wilh. work to- ' gether, r and L thirtk-time will prove that the , old saying that a .house, divided against itself cannot stand will again come truo. Whether Parliament and the country will approve of .the new departures I.am riot able to/say. Personally, I ,an\' very strongly of opinion that the .new Cabinet is no, improvement on /. the old. I think it: will be seen that tho Prime Minister has tried to please t-oo many, and has, pleased very-few 1 ; In consequonce, ■ I should not be at all surprised to i see . an; ; appeal, to tho country long before the~prdin- 7 "■ ary term of the present Parliament has ex- ; pired." ■-'■■- '--"■■ ; 'y': v : .'T-

According to a report of the secretary, cf the Yale ■University Self-Help Bureau, students of the university who, are supporting themselves while taking their collegiate courso earned last year £42,889. The larger part of this money was obtained by the students 1 during' term time, , mostly.; hy .- tutoring and. by acting .as waiters'at the university boardn"- •. house. .One. hundred and thirty-five' student's - earned enough to pay for .their year's cdi'cation by waiting at . table.. "; A. few. studmts acted as motormen; on.;electric tramcari at night, and others served as correspondents for-newspapers' in the largo .cities. ' / " Ho went to the butcher; .also the baker;' He went to; the- grocer and "cabinet-maka. l ;. > He even , enquired of tho new undertaker, '■ And asked, tho distiller and brewer! : .. .And all of. them said ' . ;-...' /- \ That for colds in tho head, • And the best for the chest as proven ly-teet Was Woods's -Great Peppermint Cdxj. 1 4