WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 November 1917, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. THE NON-PARTY EXPERIMENT. (Our Special Correspondent) Wui.I.IXGTOX, Oct 31 The happenings during the dying days of the session have- revived interest in several questions which were eagerly discussed on both sides of the House when the National Cabinet was first proposed and when it was actually formed. When Mr Massey made overtures lo Sir Joseph Ward for a combination of forces for the period of the Avar the leader, of the Opposition made it an imperative condition of his acquiescence that there should be equal representation pf the t.AVO parties in the Ministry.

It was on this rock that the negotiations between the leaders threatened to split. Each of them was insistent on bis OAvn vieA\ r of the situation. Mr Massey demanded “ a preponderance of power ” and Sir Joseph Ward positively refused to accept anything less than equality. Then the Governor intervened and as a result of a conference between his Excellency and the party leaders the present National Cabinet, consisting of six Ministers from each side, was formed. THE VACANT PORTFOLIO.This was the arrangement that existed, up to the time of the death of Dr McNab, which' occurred during the absence cf Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward in London, and it AA’as generally expected that Sir John Findlay, who succeeded Dr McNab in the representation of the Hawke’s Bay electorate, ivould he invited to take bis deceased friend’s place in the Cabinet. But apparently Sir John Avas not entertaining ambitions in that direction. He declined, very respectfully but quite firmly, to second the Address-in-Reply at the opening of Parliament, and while remaining scrupulously loyal to his pledge to support the National Government has frankly criticised its administration and deplored its failure to realise all the expectations of its friends. His own admirers are talking of him as the leader of a ueAv democratic party after the Avar and meanwhile lie is keeping his own counsel and proving a great acquisition to the debating power of the House. ,■ ' REFORM- I’ll EPOS D BRANCH. "The point, however, which m interesting the public, or, rather, that portion of it'which takes any interest in such matters, is that the absence of a successor to the late Dr McNab in the National Government has left Mr Massey with the preponderance of lie insisted upon before the Governor’s intervention. There are now six Reform Ministers and five Liberal Ministers sitting at the Cabinet table and many people profess to see in the happenings of the last feAv days the dominant hand of the Reform majority. It is a matter .of constitutional usage, as Avell as of precedent and of etiquette, that the minority in the Cabinet must- stand loyally by the decisions of the majority. The only alternative open to the Minister who cannot reconcile his own views to those of a majority of his colleagues is resignation, and resignation in Avar 1 time, apart from all personal considerations, is a serious matter. NON-PARTY (iOVEIIX'MEXT. Whether or not the formation-of a National Cabinet has given the conn-' try non-party government is still a moot question. While the tAvo parties were equally represented it did so theoretically, but even then it Avas easy for a Minister, on one side or the other, to impait a party bias to his administration. Now Avith one party holding a majority in the Cabinet, the same bias may be given to legislation. That this lias actually happened during the last day or two several members of the House, not ordinarily given to unreasoning prejudices, are ready to contend.. They say that a constitution built up on the party system does not lend itself to the ideal of non-party government and that the most to be expected from the suspension of sectional hostilities is more or less unsatisfactory government by compromise. To this extent the National Cabinet, with all its good Avar Avork to its credit, has been a failure. * ■