FEDERAL POLITICS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 272, 13 August 1919, Page 7

FEDERAL POLITICS

EARLY RECONSTRUCTION PROBABLE

MR. HUGHES'S PROBLEMS

A reconstruction of the Federal Ministry immediately after the return.of the Prime Minister. (Mr. Hughes) rto Australia nest month now seems inevitable (says the Melbourne-"Age"). ■■■Mr. Watt, who has been acting head of the Gov. eminent during Mr. Hughes's: Absence abroad, is unlikely to resumo .Ministerial office. The nervous breakdown from whioh he is ■ suffering, and'is now very slowly recovering from, will certainly preclude him from attempting further administrative duties of a strenuous character, and ho has been recommended a long. rest, to fully recuperate. It in •considered unlikely that he!,vail resume Ministerial duties, even should he feel well enough, and _ that \ Mr. Hughes will receive his' resignation of his port, folio of Treasurer as 60on as.he reaohe* Australia. Mr. Watt -will, however, retain his seat in the.House as the representative of the Balaclava constituency. Contemporaneously, with, the- resignation by Mr. Wattf'of his place in the Ministry, Mr. Hughes may receive from Senator Millen, .Minister for "Repatriation, a request that he should be relieved as soon as possible from Ministerial office. Senator -Milieu's, health has been indifferent for eouio time. He, like Mr.. Watt, has been forced to shoulder additional administrative duties during the absence of the Prime Minister, and the Minister for the Navy (Sir Joseph .Cook), and lately, since Mr. Watt was laid aside with sickness, the leadership of the party has also devolved upon him, and with it the multifarious duties,connected with the Prime Minister's office. The work of the Repatriation Department was . long ago founo, sufficient to fully occupy the time of more than one Minister, and Mr. Poynton, Acting-Minister, for. the Navy, was deputed to take charge of a section or .the administrative .work.-...The, Repatriation Department has now been established on a working basis, ana in the interests of his future physical well-being,. -Senator .'.Milieu is not! disposed to contiiiuo'longer the strain that the .-work'entails, and will cobtinue to entail • for ; some years to come. Senator Milieu ,will probably proceed to Western Australia as the envoy of tho ' Commonwealth Government,. to.:we!como Mr. Hughes back-to his domain, and he will-then take the opportunity of acquainting him. of his decision to relinquish office as soon as he can bo spared by his leader. . Tho sudden witharawal of two most virulent members of the Cabinet will, of course, necessarily mean that the first duty'-set Mr. Hughes will bo. to reconstruct his forces. The suddenness with which thejo developments havo occurred has, to an extent, floored the Ministerial party, and as yet rumour has, not l>eea prolific enough to venture to prophesy what is to happen next. There may bo further early developments, ■ when- the party has had au opportunity .of considering the position, but it is. thought unJikelv that anything definite will-occur until Ministers' are in more direct touch with their still absent leader.' It is stated, however, that it is Senator Milleu's intention'to disappear completely from tho Federal political arena when lit- resigns his portfolio, and that negotiations are in progress which may result in his selection to'the political leadership in his own Stale. Other rumours aver that Mr. Watt and'Senator.Milieu, while resigning tlheir portfolios, will, as private members, await the result of the eicction.

Tho current idea is that Mr.. Hughes will precipitate'a general election by a few months, in order to compel till sec-; tions off tho national party to make, a straight-out declaration of their future intentions. Tho time is regarded as opportune, in view of the existing industrial turmoil and tho resultant disintegration of the Labour ranks. In addition, there is the fact that an early oleotion would, of necessity, put an end to tluvmovcinont that is undoubtedly growing todeposo Mr. Hughes from tho leadership, inasmuch as memboi'B of tho 'National Party would be compelled to make a speedy declaration as to their position..-.'.That dissatisfaction with.Mr. Hughes's leadership is extending is undoubted, and it is likely to manifest itself before- many weeks lmvo ffono by. Tho expenditure of largo sums of money in the purchase of sliipi, without Parliamentary sanction, has, in particular, been most adversely criticised. ' ..".".'."..

The town of Denton, whore silk hats are manufactured, was recently absolutely without coal. Two thousand -householders were without tires for the-week-end. This was due to the strikes"in' tho Nottingham and - Derbyshire «jnincs, whence Denton's--household fuel comes. All the coke at the gasworks was-served out to invalids, and families 'AUth the most children. Tho fuol oversep'r;;#atod that no coal was expected- for Sijothor week, by which time practically the 'whole town would bo without fires.' .