Wellington Topics

Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 January 1917, Page 1

Wellington Topics

RUMOURED CABINET .CHANGES. Wellington Dec. 2D 1 . The statement appearing in one of the Napier newspapers to the effect that on the return of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward to the Dominion, two other members of the Cabinet will iresign their portfolios, is merely a belated echo of a story that has been floating about Wellington . for some months past, -without obtaining any more credence than is given to the rumours that the Minister for Finance is to take, the High Ootmmissioneisliip and iSir Thomas Mackenzie is to come back to New Zealand to resuscitate the foil-times of the Liberal party. The names of the two Ministers who are credited with hieing eager to free tliemselvas from irksome responsibilities are freely l mentioned, and the cause of their discontent is openly discussed. They are dissatisfied, it seems, with the improgressive ness of the National Government and with the administration ot the Military Service Act and the War Regulations, and are determined to emphasise the protests they liav.e made in the Cabinet room in the only constitutional way that lies open to them. This, "iof course, is their friends' version of the story. There is another version which does not represent them as taking the initiative in the .matter, but there is no need to repeat it here. MINISTERIAL DIFFERENCES. That there have been some differences of opinion expressed in Cabinet during the absence of' the party leaders everybody knows. But differenceg of opinion are inevitable a strong men and do not nesessarily mean dissensions. There would be no advantage in the multitude of counsellors, commended to us on high authority, if the counsellors were always unanimous. It is possible, however, that a revival of the rumour that Sir Thomas Mackenzie is returning to New Zealand with the intention of re-entering public life here may, have given the differences of opinion between Ministers more significance than thoy would have borne in other circumstances. It is alleged that two of Sir Thomas Mackenzie's colleagues in the short-lived [Liberal Ministry of 1912 are not particularly comfortable in the National Cabinet, and would look with more favour upon the return of their old chief to office than upon the indefinite continuance of the present arrangement. But it must not be assumed on this account that they would throw away lightly the substance of an assured position for the elusive shadow oi being included in a new combination. It is human nature iratlier to hold to the certainty of the present than to dare the chances of the future.—Standard.