THE COMING SESSION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 283, 26 August 1919, Page 6

THE COMING SESSION

VACANCIES IN THE CABINET

MEETINGS OF THE PARTIES

Tie.lnst of the resignations of T,iboi.il Ministers, I hat of tlie lion. ti. \V. I!ussci!, was forwarded io His Excellency tlie Governor-General yesterday. A few more announcements ran now ba made us to tlw allocation of tho portfolios- formerly held by the Ministers who have gone out of the. Government. The announcement- that Mr. Massey would lake tlie Post Office was premature. Sir William I'rnser is to be Postmaster-General until some othsr arrangement can be made. Tho Department of Public Health is lo bo taken by Sir Francis Bell. As has already been stated, Sir James Allen find? Defence such a heavy load to carry that lie cannot tal'o any of tho big portfolios. IL> is to take three small Departments—' Pensions, National Provident Fund, and Advertising—which will entail little extra work.

The present strength of tho Cabinet is six Ministers, a number too small to permit of the work of the Departments being carried on easily. Before many days appointments will be made to tho Ministry, to bring it up to a strength, probably, of eight or ten Ministers. These appointments may not be made for some days, probably not until tho end of this week or early in irext week. Nothing yet seems to have been decided about tho retin-ment of present Ministers from tR> Cabinet. CAUCUS MEETINGS. Meetings of Mie Government Party and tho Opposition Party are to be held tomorrow. The Opposition caucus is to be held early in the day, and the Government members will meet in tho afternoon. These meetings should both bo quite inmortaut. The followers of Sir Joseph_,Word will, possibly want- to say something about tho courso lhat is In he followed by tho party during tho session. More interest will be felt in the outcome of the Government caucus. It is well, known that the chief eauso of the threat-' en'id defection of a largo body of Ihe. followers of Mr. Massey some months ago was alleged to be duo to dissatisfaction with certain members of tho Ministry on their sido of (he Cabinet. These members, if they persist in their intentions as expressed some months ago, will press for an immediate reconstruction of the Ministry, involving.resignation of sonis of tho present Ministers. A MO-CONFIDENCE MOTION? Will Sir Joseph Ward move a noconfidence motion? This is the question probably most discusscd by member? of Parliament already in Wellington at present. When tho announcement was first made that the Opposition section would retire) from the 'National Government it was almost, taken for granted that bo would do so. It is suggested now that instead of doing this he may announce his intention to help the Government to got through the necessary legislation, and to postpone active'hostilities until the candidates aro at tho li listings. There nro one or two strong rcixsou'3 why the latter course may be the one decided upon. The first is that it is very doubtful if Sir Joseph Ward could carry such a motion. Secondly, it is certain he could not carry it without the support, of the Labour group, and it may not sniit their plans to play his game. Also, it is doubtful whether ho would bo sent for in the evont of the defeat of the Government \inder such circumstances. Yet another reason is that it is stated that some members of his party are not reliable just now. Probably they would not desert (heir leader anil go over to Mr. Massey, but they might be so -much opposed to the resumption of party warfare in tlie conditions as they will be in this session that they mir;lit absent themselves from the critical division. If he does decide to go 011 with a no-eonfidcnce motion much time will be lost which will bo required for tho business of the session. If by any chanco his motion should be carried, and a dissolution were to follow, there would bo virtually no business session at all, and tho elections would • have to bo taken within a few weeks, but this is not regarded as the likely course of events. The session must bo limited in duration to about two months. Long before then members will be getting restive, "anxious to get out on the platform, and it will not bo possible to keep them for business. SIR JAMES A:.' PN'S TRAINING \ ■ SCHEME. Beforo many days tho Government will be compelled to mako a declaration 011 tho proposals of Sir Jamei Allen for tho amendment of tho scheme of training Territorials. Sir James Allej- has stated on many occasions that the scliemo is his scheme, having had the approval of 110 one but himself, and that it has never even been submitted to Cabinet. But at the time tho suggestions wero made by him 110 was Acting-Prime Minister. and tho public do not draw fine' distinctions in these matters. Many people insist on regarding the scheme as a Government scheme. This question will have to bo settled at onco. and tliero is very little doubt as to, how it will be settled. It is safe to "predict that the Government will not adopt Sii' N James Allen's scheme.