WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 January 1917, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Rumoured Cabinet Changes.

A Belated Echo

(Oar Special Co.responiiant.) Wellington, Use 29 Tb 3 Etftieannr. eppsum g in one of o Nipidr new*pi3f r.« to the effect that on the it. turnM Mr Massey aod Sit Joseph Ward to the Dominion two other members of ihs (Jab net wiil ra* sign th«ir portfolios, is merely a belated echo of a e'eny that has baea floating about Wellington for some months past without obtaining any more credenoa than ia given to the ruuour that the Minister of Finance ie to tie High Gomtniasiooahip and Sir Toomas Maoket zie to came back to New Zsaland to reoueoitaie the fortunes of the Liberal Pariy, The names of the two Ministers who era credited with being eager to free themselves from irksome responsibilities are freely mentioned and the canse of their discontent is openly discussed. They are dissatisfied, it seems, with the unprogressivenesa of the National Government and with the administration of the Service Act end the War Regulations and are determined to emphasise the protests they heva made in the Cabinet room in the only constitutional way that lies open to them. This, of coarse, is their friends’ version of the story. There is unother version which does not represent them ai talking the initiative in the matter, but there ia no mead to repiai it hers. "\ ijnU3TERUL DIFFERENCES Taut tbtre have been some differences of opinion expressed in Cabinet du*iog the absence of the party leaders everybody knows, But differences of opinion are inevitable among strong men and do hot necessarily mean dissensions. There would be no advantage in the multitude of counsellors,, commended to us on high an.thori;y, if the counsellors always were unanimous.

It ia possible, however, that the revival of the rumor that Sir Thomas Mackenzie is returning to New Zealand with the intention of ra-antering public life hate may have given the, differences of opinion between Ministers more eigoiftaanca than they would have burns in other circumstances. It is alleged that two of Sir Thomas’s col'eagueß in the shortlived Liberal' Ministry of 1912 are not particularly comfortable in the National Cabinet and would look with more favor upon the return of their old chief to office than upon the indefinite continuance of the present arrangement. But it must not ba assumed on this account that they would throw away lightly the substance of an assured position for the elusive shadow of being included in a nBW combination, It ia human natnre rather to hold oq to the certainty of the present than to dare the chances of the future.

TRUSTING TO PROVIDENCE, Tie Military Service Boards arc serving several useful purposes epufc from determining tbe claims of reluctant aud embarraEsed Reservists to be excused from a p^ ace in the firing line. One of these was brought into strong relief by tbe Wellington Boaid .this week when tbe General Manager of Railways applied for tbe exemption of employee of his Department, and an expert time* table and train-running clerk, on the ground that be wa? performing an essential service and that his enlistment would be oootrary to the pnblio interests.

The Disfrict Traffio Manager stated in his evidence that there were three men employed io this particular work, that they had no under-atndiea .and that if one of them fell ill or enlisted “ the transport work would be seriously delayed.” If two cf the men were taken away “some portion of the traffic would have to stop.” The nun on who?e account tbe appeal was made ■ " ' ■ —»

said he had no definite hours of work, but was averaging eleven hours a day at present and 6vtry third week had to be at call jday and night. These revelationa have provoked much comment here and people are wondering bow many more " essential services and how much of the public interest are dependent upon the loyalty, health and lives of single individuals. HAPHAZARD MANAGEMENT The remedy suggested by the Board for th ; s obviously undesirable state of affairs is that Bom3 officsr ehculd be trained as an understudy to to the time-table and traia-ruaning expert and that daring the war a number of trains “ run for the purposa of conveying the public to race meetings, Bhowßaod other existsions,” should be red need. Local bn&iness people, wbo claim to have a lay min’s knowledge of railway management, while in noway averse to reducing the number of excursion trains, maintain this is not the economy way of dealing With the problem. The experts shoe 11 be trained of coarse, a dezan of them rather than a man should be engaged on such responsible work for eleven hours a day, and they should be enhsted for borne service, as should every other State

employee, but the time has not jet arrived for cutting down the railway facilities and the railway revenue iu order to release two hundred or three hundred, men for the firing line. It. would be a patch-woik way of going about the business and would give much less satisfactory results than would the systematic organisation of (he whole civil population. This view, though stated quite seriously, probably is impraoiieible without further legislation, but it is shared by many sane people who have reconciled themselves to the idea of compulsion. 0 ;