Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1903. SPEAKERSHIP AND MINISTRY.

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 January 1903, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star, AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1903. SPEAKERSHIP AND MINISTRY.

The New Zealand Times in its yesterday's issue notified the early retirement of Mr Duncan from the position of Minister for Lands. This gives sufficient coloring to the foreshadowing of the Dunedin Star, which in its issue of the 24th stated that some months have still to elapse before the meeting of the new Parliament, but it is understood that certain preliminary matters of importance are already under Ministerial consideration. Indeed, it is not unlikely that the Cabinet will choose their nominee for the Speakership of the House of Representatives in the course of the next forty-eight hours; or, perhaps, we should rather say that their choice will be definitely made known—seeing that to all practical intents, the selection of Mr M'Nab has been a foregone conclusion for some time past. The promotion of the member for Mataura to the Speaker's chair, filled for so many years With unique efficiency by Sir Maurice O'Rorke, will probably give pretty general satisfaction, and the results of the prospective appointment may bo anticipated with reasonable optimism. Mr M'Nab is a parliamentarian of sufficient experience, excellent ability, and stainless character. The best traditions of the House of Representatives will be safe in his custody, while his progressive tendencies will keep him from clinging too closely to tho mere formality of precedent. His personal fitness being thus unquestisnable, there is no need to be critical over the admitted fact that tho Government will bo overcoming a difficulty by choosing him for the Speakership. For somo time past it has been recognised that he deserved promotion of some kind, and his claims to a place in the Ministry have often been advanced ; yet, considering the heavy preponderance of South Island representation in the Cabinet, it is difficult to see how room could be found for him. We must not be understood to enforce tho general principle of equal or proportional representation of localities. A true colonial feeling would rise superior to local considerations in this matter; and, as we have said before, it might conceivably be desirable to choose all or nearly all the members of the Ministry from one island. Practical ability and personal suitability are tho qualifications to be sought in a candidate for Ministerial position —not tho mere fact of local connection with a particular {.art of the Coiony—and if the six ablest and most suitable men were to be found in one island they ought to be chosen, instead of having recourse to mediocrities from the other island. This, at least, would be the ideal system of Ministerial selection, but we recognise that the public—especially the public of the northern part of the Colony—are not yet politically educated to the height of such a counsel of porfsction. The Northerners are grumbling, and it is pretty well known that Mr Seddon, in reconstructing tho Cabinet, intends to pay heed to their complaints. Thus Mr M'Nab's prospect of attaining Cabinet rank would not be very bright, and tho vacant Speakership will conveniently satisfy his reasonable ambition and reward his services to the Liberal party. He is not unlikely to have a walk over for the seat, f r he is a favorite with the Opposition, by reason of his freedom from extreme partisanship and his general fairness of mind and temper. There was some talk of nominating Sir William Russell, whoso high qualifications and claims are sufficiently patent; and we believe that the Government might have risen to the generous height of the occasion if Sir William had not intimated his unwillingness to be nominated. Then there is Mr Guinness, whoso considerable experience as Chairman of Committees and DeputySpeaker appears to give him o plausible title to tho higher chair, and who has many friends on both sides of the House. His ability and suitability, however, are not equal to Mr M'Nab's and our conjecture is that sooner or

later ho will be otherwise ''provided for," as the phrase goes. It has been suggested that the Attorney-General-ship might be revived for his special benefit, and such an idea is by no means out of the question, though here again the North v. South issue forms a point of difficulty.