"RE-SHUFFLING."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1330, 6 January 1912, Page 5

"RE-SHUFFLING."

A SUPPOSED NEW CABINET. WARDISH'S FORLORN HOPE. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondents Christchurch, January 5. The "Evening News" to-night contains the following:—Wo arc informed on excellent authority that ns a result of the conferences of tho Prime Minister' with his supporters in Christchurch and Wellington, tho Government will meet Parliament at an early date in a reconstructed form. Tho insistence of tho Canterbury mcmbors on important Cabinet changes is said to liavo been met by SirJoseph Ward, and the various portfolios will bo distributed as follows:— Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Minister, Minister for Finance, and PostmasterGeneral. Mr. Millar, Minister for Railways, Labour, and Marine. Mr. T. Mackenzc, Minister for Lands and Agriculture. Mr. G. W. RussMl, Minister for Public Works and Customs. Mr. J. A. Hanan, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice. / . , Mr. G. Laurenson, Minister for Education and Public Health. Mr. A. Myers, Minister for Mines. Mr. A. T. Ngata, Minister for Native Affairs. Mr. J. M'Gowan, Minister for Internal Affairs and Leader of the. Legislative Council.

Commenting on the situation, the "Evening News" says: "The political Crisis, or, to bo more correct* the political conspiracy to defeat tho will of. the peOJilft as expressed at the elections, is becoming a matter df tho gruvest public concern. The people who aro supposed to govern themselves through their Parliamentary, representatives aro beginning to demand the meaning of all these secret conclaves, Which tho Prime Minister is convening in. Wellington and Christchurch, and to suspect that something is wrong. They may well do that. Hero is a position in which the Government is in a minority, and there is considerable doubt as to whether, under any circumstances, it can survive a nft-conlidencfi motion in Parliament. Tho right and obvious thing to do is to call Parliament together, so that it may be found whether thero is any party able to carry on the business of tho country, but, instead of making an announcement to that effect, the Prime Minister absolutely refuses to say when ho will permit the peoplo's representatives to conio together. He . will mako no statement legarding tho position uf tho Government, or give any indication of his intentions. On the contrary, ho is spending his days in political intrigue, pulling strings and generally manoeuvring in order to get into a certain position before taking his next official step. It needs no effort of the imagination to realise that, if Sir Joseph Ward could be reasonably sure of a majority, he would come out into tho open at dice. The fact that ho has not done so is evidence that his efforts liavo not been particularly successful np to the present. . Tho main stumbling block in his path is that certain Labour members and Independent.?, whoso support is indispensable, pledged themselves at tho election to voto against the Government. llow. ore they to keep their pledges and sell their support to Sir Joseph AVard at the same time! 1 iTo get these members out of that predicament into his own camp has apparently been engrossing Sir. Jo'"seph Ward's attention during tho past ion' anxious weeks. Clearly, his only hepo could lie in a reconstruction of the Ministry on such lines as might give theso unattached members sufficient exctisO for deciding not to participate in tho Government's extinction. It was a hopeless sort of task from the beginning, and if the attempted Solution is that which we publish in another column, it is sufficient to ray that the Government's end is very close. It will lie seen that Sir James Carroll, Mr. Buddo, and Mr. H. M'JCenzio nlako way for Messrs. llussdl, Laurenson, and Myers, and that Mr. Hanan takes Dr. Findlay's portfolio. The Government would unquestionably be strengthened by these alterations, _ but no one will be so siiuplo as to imagine that tho country is going to stolid such a curiously ill-assorted group of politicians at tho head of affairs. A Ministry constituted of tho members indicated simply means a continuance of Wardism, and that is a thing tho country is utterly sick of. Whatever reshuffling of portfolios is going on behind tho scenes—and it does not matter very much whether Mr. Isitt or Mr. Myers, or anyone else, is pushed into office at this stage of the proceedings—it is imperative that Parliament should meet, and if tho Government declines to tako tho initiative, the Reform party might well organise public indignation meetings in every large centre of the Dominion, to protest against tho manner in which the people's will is being flouted by certain politicians whose only thought is for themselves."

THE REFORM LEADER. MR. MASSEY HOME AGAIN. IDy TcleeraDh.—Presß AssoctatldiU Auckland, January 5. Mr. W. F. Massey, Loader of the Heform party, returned to Auckland this illuming. Interviewed, Mr. Massey Said (here was no new development: that- ho Could make public, and ho declined to eommit liiin.sclf to an expression of opinion as to when the House was likely to ll'CCl. Ashed whether his party hud agreed (o pair with Mr. • Wilfonl, who is now en route to England, Mr. Massey said a pair had not Ijeou asked for. Further <iuostioneil a-s to whether a pair would be granted if naked for fay th« Govern-

Mont, Mr. Masscy laughingly ; replied! "That is another matter." A SEAT SAID TO BE IN DANGER. MEMBER MAY RESIGN. (Br Tcleerapb—Press Association.) Nelson, January 5. ' Information has been receivod that 0110 of the Ministerial supporters returned at Inst election may have' the legality of liis return attacked on grounds couuectcd wilh a laml transaction in which two ex-members wore also interested. , It is also slated that this member Jw3 boon asked to resign iu order" not to embarrass the party. . ~ SOT YET BEFOIM; ' I'rovinoial evening papers published yes« teiday the following J'refs Association telegram from Wellington:—'"ln reference to the statement in the Nelson telegram, inquiries show' that Something of tho matter alluded to has been mentioned here iu political circlos; but it has not yet eomc before Cabinet."