The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1915.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3977, 9 July 1915, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1915.

Lt is not yet quite clear whether the negotiations aimA Step in the ing at the creaRight Direction, tion of a National

Ministry for this Dominion will prove successful. The trouble, as is well-known, is that the Opposition consider that the proposed allocation of seats in the suggested Ministry is unsatisfactory. What they say is that the- Opposition is entitled to more than three portfolios as against six to be held by the Government. A way out of the difficulty, it would appear, may be found by increasing the total number of members of the proposed Cabinet, in which event the Opposition might be given, say, four seats out of an aggregate of ten seats. This, it will be felt, would be much more satisfactory than any scheme which would involve tho reduction of tho membership of the Cabinet which would, assuredly, be a step in the wrong direction. At the conclusion of the caucus of tho Government party last night-it was officially stated that the Prime Minister had been authorised to continue the negotiations for a National Cabinet with tho Leader of the Opposition. In tho meantime, however, Mr -Massey and his party have come to a very correct decision, viz., to relieve the overloaded Minister for Defence of his responsibility in regard to the Departments of Finance and Education. What has been resolved upon was indicated to the political reporter for this journal by Mr Massey last night : “There was a very long discussion “at the meeting of the party,” Mr Massey said, “as to the best moans “of improving the condition of af“fairs at tho Trentham Camp and “of giving the Defence Minister an “opportunity of devoting the whole “of bis time to the administration “of tho Defence Department. It “is well known that Sir Francis “Bell has been administering tho “Education Department for some “time and Mr Rhodes has also been “assisting tho Defence Minister for “the last month. I will now take “over the greater part of the ad“ministration of the Finance Department, allowing Mr Allen to - “deliver the Financial Statement, “which lie has prepared, and which “is now almost ready for delivery.”

Whatever may be the ultimate fate of tho Coalition Ministry proposal it is certain that the rearrangement of portfolios that is alluded to has not como any too soon. It can be quite well understood that Mr Allen-—tire-less worker that lie is—has not up till now boon willing to give up the <octroi of any of —e very important departments which (have, for nearly three years, been entrusted to his care. As Minister for Defence, lie is in the thick of the heavy work that has followed in that Department on the outbreak of the war, and, what is more, lie has much special military and administrative knowledge for the position. Then, again, in liis capacity as Minister for Finance it is quite certain also that ho would quito naturally prefer not to have been relieved of that portfolio earlier in view of the approach of the usual time for the delivery of tho Budget, which is such an important document and could bestbo prepared by the Minister wii :i has bad the handling of the financial affairs of the Dominion during tho past year. Nor would lie feel disposed to offer t-o give up tho portfolio of Education before this date seeing that the National Council of Education lias only just come into being and various proposed amendments to tho Education Act have had to be considered in all tlioir bearings from a national viewpoint. But Mr Allen lias unquestionably been overladen with official duties for some time past. Tlio decision of his party will, therefore, be welcomed on all sides.