THE MAN OF THE HOUR

Hokitika Guardian, 20 November 1931, Page 3

THE MAN OF THE HOUR

THE PRIME MINISTER’S WORK. . . i (Christchurch Times), Ministers of the Crown are not commonly as modest as the Prime Minister, and Mr Forbes loses some of the credit that is du© to him because of the matter-of-fact way in which lie discusses even the most , important questions. He takes it for granted that a Minister will give .his best service to the country and he also takes it for granted that the public will appreciate the nature of that service, wherein he pays the public an undeserved compliment. When Mr Forbes returned to the Dominion from' the Imperial Conference he found affairs in a critical state, and in the most undemonstrative way he devoted himself to the task of initiating economies, reorganising the adminstration anu balancing the Budget. He has never enlarged on the magnitude of the task. With characteristic honesty he told Parliament that the political position was i unsatisfactory, that there were momentous decisions to he made and carried into effect, and than in his opinion it was not right that the work should be done by a minority Government, a Government, that is to say, with responsibility ,but no real p f political pressure against the reform, he insisted on removing the Railway Department entirely from political influence and control. The strength of his position in this and his. other diffieiilt tasks lay in bis determination to ignore party considerations and to be guided in bis proposals,, and in the selection of men to carry, them out, only by considerations of public interest. He has mad© no attempt to magnify his services and even when he was giving an account of his administration and asking for a renewal of public confidence, lie had nothing to say concerning his personal achievement. In the circumstances the least we can do is;sav for him what most Ministers .would have been only t&o eager to say for themselves.