NO NATIONAL CABINET.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1421, 8 July 1915, Page 3

NO NATIONAL CABINET.

OPPOSITION OBJKCTS TO PROPORTION. The proposal of the Government in regatd :o the formation of a National Cabinet was discussed at a caucus of the Opposition party, including the Labour members, on Tuesday. The meeting lasted for upwards of two hours. No official report was issued at the close of caucus, but .subsequent enquiry elicited the fact that the following decision had been arrived at : “Thai Mr Massey be informed that the Opposition considers his offer ot constituting a National Cabinet with six Government members and three Opposition members unfair, seeing the Opposition is practically equal to the Government party in point of numbers. “The Opposition is desirous of assisting the Government in war matters, and as an alternative to Mr Massey’s proposals suggests that such assistance could be better rendered it the powers of the Secret Defence Committee were extended during the war, and in connection therewith to enable the administration more effectually to deal with the present ciisis.” The announcement of the result of the caucus cheated no surprise, as it had been allowed to become generally known that the Opposition was not likely to enteitain the Government’s proposal. The decision of the caucus, it is stated, was not unanimous, but a member of the parly slates that the supporters of the decision arrived at far outnumbered the dissentients, li is understood that the opinion of many members of the Opposition who were present at the caucus is that us the numerical strength of the Government and Opposition parlies is almost equal, the Opposition would be entitled to almost equal representation in any National Cabinet that might M ; at least that in a i i.: members it would o nominate four ; ■ ■. b. view, however, it ■. v ;; ,- : by a Government timmb-n thm in making their calculation of the seats to which they would he entitled in a Coalition Government, the Opposition are not fairly entitled to take the ‘irreconciltables’ of their patty (who are opposed to coalition on any terms) into account. There are six Labour members.