The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1925 CABINET-MAKING

Hokitika Guardian, 25 November 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1925 CABINET-MAKING

AcronniMi to our Wellington eorre.spondenc tliis week, the Prime Minister i-> lui.sy about eiihinet-niiiking just now. There are positions in Cabinet to fill, while even some of the Reform journals are .suggesting a reshuffling of the Ministerial team. The Auckland Herald. which wields naturally a good deal of influence, recently had the following: “Mr Coates is in a position to exercise his own judgment about the team he selects to collaborate with him in the work of the ensuing three years. It has been said, or implied, more than t nee. that lie has a perfectly free hand. It is for him. therefore. to survey the possibilities and to collect about him the best set of .Ministers it is possible to obtain.

has bad an emphatic vote of confidence from the country. He is expected to act with promptitude and vigour in all things. The first to be done is to select his team. B.v the manner in which lie sets about it opinions of him in his role as leader with an assured majority will !*■ first formed. The sorest way to gain a favourable judgment "ill be to proceed without avoidable delay to the formation of the strongest possible Cabinet.'’ It is highly important that the Prime Minister should have the best men possible about him. With so great a majority behind him. be requires Ministerial strength also to achieve the best and to make the best use of liis majority. His parliamentary majority should be some encouragement to him. more so Itecause as a party the memliers are pledged to Mr Coates personally. In addition to the vacancy created by the death of Mr Massey still not filled in Cabinet, Sir F. T). Bell is to retire immediately, and Sir Heaton Bhodes lias retired. Three new men at least must be drawn into the Cabinet. Mr Coates bad bis leanings towards fusion, and it. remains to bo seen how far be will draw on the Liberals for reinforcements. On this aspect a Wairarnpn paper had the following last week : “One considerable body of opinion is already being expressed by newspapers whii h supported the cause of the National Fifty to the effect that Mr Coates ought to take into the Cabinet seme members of the National Party and thus complete the fusion for which tlTe conn-

try is .still looking. From :i purely party point of view, of course, sticli fusion i.s now by no means necessary to the Reform Party, wliic-h has a majority in the new House independent of any possible hostile combina--tion. Rut Mr Coates is not likely to concern himself much with the purely party point- of view. \\ hat be will have in mind is the tendency of Ministries of long standing to decline in quality, and the urgent necessity in consequence of starting on what looks like a long term of office with the very best team available. Keen if the Prime Minister does not contemplate a complete reconstruction of his team and of that lie is the sole judge and arbiter—there are in sight a few vacancies which will give him the opportunity of adding new blood.’’ II this view interprets Mr Coates attitude correct!v, the Prime Minister, free lance as he is. can go far in the reorganisation of his Cabinet. I here are those of the present Ministers who might be left out. Some members have been hinted at rather jiointcdiy, butthev have gone back to Parliament with good majorities, and the safety of their seats, might ensure the safety of their portfolios, and in this connection. the appointment of under-secre-taries with seats in the House have been mentioned. On this aspect a Mannwatu newspaper remarks: “It has been objected that the appointment of under-secretaries would unduly .strengthen the power of Ministries, by placing too big a percentage of the membership of the House in control of the remainder, and that the additional expense entailed i.s not justified. So far ns the latter is concerned, if only three or four under-secretaries were appointed, ihe additions to their present salaries as members ol the House need not exceed an outside total of £IOOO, and only three or four would he required. '1 lie former objection is stareely tenable, provided the number of appointments is limited to tlit' three or four we have suggested as likely to meet all the requirements of the .situation.’' The Prime Minister with so large a following might well take advantage of the suggestion to appoint malerssecretarie.s. II Mr Coates is to nit a ill the import aid | f>rt toVios lie holds now affecting railways and public works, lie could well do with ail umler-stmly to grapple with much of the detail, so that in that tvspecl it would not he surprising to see two, if not three (one for Finance) under-s----eretaries appointed. Certainly there must he a leader for the T'p.per House, and here an important change is possible. It will lie seen that the matter is full of interest, for ihe followers of Mi- Conies, and specially to the Dominion, which wants to see the best Cabinet possible, selected at this juncture.