ALLOCATION OF VACATED PORTFOLIOS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 281, 23 August 1919, Page 8

ALLOCATION OF VACATED PORTFOLIOS

NO" NEW APPOINTMENTS YET

STATEMENT BY MR. MASSEY

The Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald, the Hon. A. M. Myers, and tho Hon. T. M. Wilford resigned from the Ministry yesterday. Tho Hon. G. W. Russell will resign on Monday, nnd the Hon. J. A. Hanan early next week, probably on Tuesday. Tho work of the resigning Ministers will havo to be apportioned among those remaining. Sir James Allen hns alroady more than a comfortable loud with Defence, which has sub-Departments bigger than some of the regular Departments of State, and he is liot being asked to tako any bigger burden. The Primd Minister, it is understood, will t.c.ko Finance a.nd tho Police, Sir Francis Bell Education, Internal Affairs, and Justice, Mr. Homes Customs nnd Marine, and probably Coal Distribution, Sir William Eraser Mines, and Mr. Guthrie Agriculture. This leaves the Pout Office and Public Health not accounted for, and it is understood that they have not yet been -placed. Tho above allocation is by no moans final yet, but Mr. Massey is certain to take Finance.

It is not expected that anv new Minis, ters will be appointed until after Mr. Massey Ims met the Reform Party next week, on Wednesday. It may bo that ho will not haston to make appointments even after that, and in any case he will bo quite unlikely to appoint ti Cabinet of 12 Ministers.

A DIFFICULT SITUATION MUCH WORK-FEW MINISTERS. The present difficulties of the Government were referred to by Mr. Massey in a statement made by nim yesterday, "The decision of Sir Joseph Ward and his colleagues to retire tram the Government, and thereby teiminate the existence of tho National Government formed in 11)15, under the agreement of the two principal parties in the House of Representatives,"* said Mr. Massey. "was pub. licly announced some months'ago, but no intimation was given then', or since, until August 20, whether the consequent disruption was intended to lake place before the session of Parliament convened by tho National Government fut dispatch of business on August Si,

"Some of ' the most important public Departments, such as the Treasury, Pub. lie Health. Mining, Education, and Justice, have been since JDIS continuously under the control of those Ministers who have now announced their resignations. Tiio remaining Ministers have not intervened in tho internal work of such Departments, nor in tho Departmental policy, except in cases where decisions of Cabinet have been called for, and the present position is therefore in respect of those Departments similar to that which occurs on a change of Government, but with the grave exception that tho remaining Ministers - have not tho timo always allowed to an incoming Government to make themselves acquainted with tho methods of the Departments and tho requirements of tho country in regard to matters which those Departments control. They are called upon to meet Parliament in loss than a'week hence, and assume responsibility for work of many months past without tho aid of the. several Ministers who have directed