THE PREMIER'S TASK.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 410, 20 January 1909, Page 7

THE PREMIER'S TASK.

CONFESSIONS OF A CABINET-MAKER. .' bVsR-'WOItKED MINISTERS.. ,'■■ ~ (bi association.).'. ■•',' ■ . Dhristonurpli,. January 10. In the course of a Speech, given after & de,putation'.that waited ou him at Olarence Road, Addington, the; Prime Ministor (Sir, Joseph Word) made reference-to■ th> recent ..reconstruction of. the Ministry.! Sir Joseph ,: said : that the Dominion' had[ been mgving'on at 0, swift rate, and wss doing not so badly,, j'ct some of the Government's critics, -whenever theje wasthe slightest Iridic ■cation of, a ■ change, thqugjit ;tliat tho skies wore going, to fall. Looking at the borizon and looking, at the affairs of the Dominion, there did pot.appear.to,be'.anything turb its prosperity/"or anything to warrapt them having other than a very ggod. dea); pf confidonce' in their, very country •' : -■ Only One Representative, of the Maoris. -. He had recently had'.much anxiety in con-i iieption. with, the roadjustmont of: the (jovern' moriti; . Sorao people appeared, to bayo con. coived- the udea that , there were BQW two representatives of-..the' Maori race,' and :he had noticed that some had: taken exception to "that, alleged staSe of affairs. , 5* did not knowifthose critics had studied the question, from -a constitutional point of view, tut the fact.was.that thoro was only'onorenrosentativo of the Maori race in-tliq Executive, and that was the Hon. Mr. Ngata. His friend and ■ colleague, ,tiio Hon. Mr.. Carroll,., did not represent,tho Maori .race, but represented a .European constituency; .and was returned by Europeans, qnd .not .by Mno'ris.; .therefore,■ those who said that..there , 'were two reprc6entativos of the'.Maori race, in.the Ministry were .'misleading, themselves ant] were misleading the public. Mr,"Carroll'was , a very high):? -educated half-caste,'.' and; -wlfch.-.the knowledge, he possessed of ; . the- Maori :, race, would find "it extremely difficult in thfl'posir tjon\he ield, not. to bring to , bear on questions'affecting'the;. Maori ractf :.tha,t intimate knowledge; of it that' hfl' : p'ossea'aecV-' - Th'a law- ijf•-tha-couiTt)?y~gaye ' the" Government power ; to appoint' 1 α-member of the Native riico,,and.the gpvetntneflVhad dqne'so'."- ■'.. •; / ;Soveritq3n"'Mnto;^hroe. ; :'''. K:: ,;■';; ;OA' very' grjtVe respohsibility -had' te«n : "oa'st' uponrhis • (Sir JpEop.h;s) shoulders fin. ,recon» •Woting-%:Mmiftr'yi ; ",.Ap f hßßa- : 6f..tbe:'6ovi ?n*H*^'.' JI S-r- Ji e. d •■» . ver X wWfl .responsibility, it the jiead of the Gorerrimeut could give' eitecti to his own wißHes,,if he oou]d onlr in:Ws.i;f"Pnds ,in' the, h* be. tne-happiestman-pn, earth, If a;man Jiad a problem..to., divido 17 into .2:or into B', and could solveit,,then lie.ought to:be taken out of the particular.ruok in jifo that-he was in and raised to a higher portion. r He : (Sir Josoph): had found it a difficult job "to divide fifteen mto.two or into three.. Naturally, there had'been'expressed'-different views of his action, but that action was the result of an honest effort ■which had, extended over,' a long period. The, problem/had bepn apes- ■ tremely ■• difficult; ■ one;-' and 'one of tho most unpleasant , jobs bo had'had- to do. ■ He only, trvistedthat his aotion would-be justified by tho judgmeot of the ?S?turo'. ■ : r ■■'•,-

• inorease In - Work and:.; Departments', ■ Trio Government as itst<jod refleofed, "said Sir Joseph, the ideas of the people generally. The increased numbor of departments had proved-too many for the number of Minis, ters.■.■Despite the faot.'that; the Administration wero handling £9,000,000 annually, and were conducting. nioro Deportmoiits,-. there ivero soma men in Now wero so fastidious and so parsimbnipus that they <Jemurred >ai the suggestion-'.to -pay. another Mm.ißtor ;..y'et, if a farmer who,< when farming a small area, employed one man? was 'told 'wnen M inoreased his noreaga to carryon the work with,only one assistant, he. would look, round and ask,■"What.do'ypu take me, '^n^^ , * 9 ? ifc carao to'the.controlling of ,£9,000,000, and a greater numbor of Departments than hitherto, Vi mcn'were foun4 who took tbo narrow viow of- the people ho had referred-,t0,. Suoh critics -apparently would like to' .see men .grind themselves .to death rather give '.them . assistance to permit.of the.work being done.■ ;For tho reason indicated he had felt if incumbent upon him, as being in charge of, the practical administratipn of tho affair's of the country' to soo,that .Ministers had more assistance in the.administration of tho 'country's" affairs The'country must have more efficient administration, and more, handsVwere nepded to ■assists,:■■■-■■-..•" .-■; ■, ■. ■'■■:,,'■' ;,:.•'.,' ■'•■■. ! He hoped that during the' next three years ai least they would bo able to parry on the affairs qf New : Zealand, not to the satisfaction of. every .mdividuel—th'at was impossible' views of the mass, of the people, so.as to ensiiro at least the recognition frp'm the great mass , of' the pooplo-'tnat they had'tried to do theirVduty.-iThat'was tho most ihat public opinion cowld 'expect.* They might aave their different'eiegrees ofoapacity, in that they were like other people but I they, were working with the object of doine their best, and if that were done they could notdo any more. (Hear, hear.)