CABINET CHANGES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 2988, 19 January 1926, Page 2

CABINET CHANGES.

THREE NEW APPOINTMENTS,

CREATION OF NEW DEPARTMENT.

Three new appointments to the Ministry were announced by the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates) yesterday.

The new Ministers are: Hon. 0. J. Ha when, ALP. for Egmont, who will assume the portfolio of Agriculture. Hon. F. J. Rolleston, ALP., for Timaru, who enters the Cabinet as

Alinister of Justice and Defence. Hon. J. A. Young, ALP., for Hamilton, whose new office will be Minister of Health. The Hon. W. Downie Stewart, Alinister of Industries and Commerce, will immediately succeed the Rt. Hon. Sir Francis Bell (who is retiring) as Attorney-General. The new Ministers were duly sworn in by the Governor-General Sir Charles Fergusson) yesterday afternoon, and subsequently attended a meeting of Cabinet. The Prime Alinister made (lie following statement: — “It will he remembered that the vacancy in (lie Cabinet caused by the death of the late Prime Alinister (the Right Hon. W. F. Alassey) has not been tilled. A further vacancy has been caused by the retirement through ill-health of the Hon. Sir 11. H. Rhodes, who held, the portfolios of Defence and Commissioner of State Forests, and did nof, seek re-election to the present'Parliament. SIR HEATON RHODES. “I have on several occasions pnlilil.y intimated that early in the Now Year I would take steps to reconstruct the Cabinet, but before making any reference l" tin* new appointments I would like, to express my keen sense of (lie valuable services rendered by Sir Heaton Rhodes, extending over a long period of years, and of tlie great loss That we and the country have sustained by his retirement. Throughout li is long Parliamentary career, and more particularly as a Minister of the Crown, lie lias been imbued with a high sense of public duty, and lias at all times carried out the duties of his Ministerial positions with credit, strict integrity and befitting dignity. I . part with great regret from a colleague with whom I have been so intimately associated since 1919, and who was also a member of Air. Alassey’s Ministry in 1912.

THE ATTORNEY-GENERALSHIP,

“It is well known that, the Right Hon. Sir Francis Bell has expressed his intention of retiring from Alinisterial life, and his resignation of his office as Attorney-General will take effect at once, but he will retain the portfolio of External Affairs until his departure for Europe in March next, when he will leave to act as New Zealand’s representative at the Assembly of the League of Nations at Geneva. This, perhaps is not the proper occasion to refer at length to the conspicuous public service Sir Francis Bell has rendered to the Dominion, but I can say that the high position occupied by him for so many years in the Government will indeed be hard to fill. It is satisfactory to be able to state that lie will retain his seat in the Executive Council and that the Government and New Zealand will still be able to have the benefit of his experienced counsel. “Although the country is not to lose Sir Francis Bell’s services immediately, yet the (late of his departure is drawing near. I wish to announce, therefore, that the Hon. W. Downie Stewart will now succeed t,o the Attorney-Generalship. FURTHER. CHANGES LATER. “These are the only new appointments which His Excellency has been advised immediately to make, but further Alinisterial changes will be recommended in the near future in order to bring the Ministry up to full strength. May J say that where there are so many members possessing undoubted qualifications for Ministerial office, I have found the task of selection difficult, but it lias been made with an effort to command the approbation and confidence of Parliament and the country: Furl her readjustment will include Finance being placed under the Hon. W\ Downie Stewart, in accordance with the intimation made last year. The present Minister of Finance (Hon. W. Noswortliv) will continue to administer the Treasury until the end of the current financial year. “I should like also to say that although the Hon. Sir Maui Pomare is relinquishing the portfolio of Health, which he has successfully administered, lie will continue to represent the Native race in the Executive Council, and also retain (lie administration of the Cook and other islands.

THE PUBLIC WfORIvS " PORTFOLIO. “1 am of opinion that the Prime Minister should not he burdened with a mass of administrative detail connected with State Departments, hut should rather he available to render his Ministers assistance in discussing and deciding suitable organisation and staff' to give proper effect to policy delusions. “I take this opportunity to announce that whilst I am retaining Public Works for the present, a change in the Ministerial control of this Department is contemplated shortly. I hope to be in a position to advise further appointments early in the year. NEW DEPARTMENT CREATED. “Since assuming the leadership of the Government last year I have become increasingly impressed with

the manifold activities and almost unlimited scope of the work atteaching to the office of Prime Alinister, involving, as they do, very heavy demands on time and attention. In our democratic community the Prime Alinister is called upon, perforce, to attend to a large amount of detail work which leaves him but little time to devote mature consideration to many important matters in the wider field of policy. The Prime Alinister, in my opinion, should be relieved of much of this attention to detail in order that a great deal more of his time may be usefully employed in the general interests of the Dominion. “Aloreover, the development of closer inter-imperial 'relations, which may be said to have had birth in the Imperial war Cabinets and conferences nine or ten years ago, is now increasing to such an extent that in the opinion of the Government the time has arrived when special provision should be made to de-el with this highly important branch of our work. I am strongly of the opinion that all such matters should come under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister, especially in view of the fact that he is the official representative of the Dominion at all Imperial Conferences, and in this capacity is the person who is invested with the requisite authority to speak on behalf of the Government and the country in the councils of ihe Empire. “it is only right to say that the staff_of the Prime Minister's office, with limited personnel, has in the past efficiently carried on a tremendous volume of work, but 1 am convinced that the demands have now become too heavy to enable adequate consideration being given to the many important questions which arise in 1 lie course of administra-

“Therefore, with a view to a more effective organisation, 1 have decided to create a Prime Minister’s Department under a permanent departmental head, and also to appoint to the staff of the new Department a special officer, whose duty will lie chiefly confined to Imperial and external affairs arising in the course of the continuous process of communication and consultation which is now in force as between His Alajesty’s Government and the Dominions. By this means a more complete system of co-or-dination will be brought into practice in connection with our Imperial work. The additional expenditure involved in the creation of this Department need not be large, but it will.be amply justified by increased efficiency and organisation, “Air. F. D. Thomson, C.AI.G., who has for many years held the position of chief private secretary to the Prime Alinister, will be appointed permanent head of the new Department. The special officer to be appointed to the External Affairs branch of the Department ivill be announced, in due course.

NOT INACCESSIBLE,

“In announcing the creation of this Department I would like to add a few words of personal nature bearing upon the change. Ido not wish the public to infer that I desire to isolate myself in any way or to make myself inaccessible to members of the community who are desirous of seeing me; on the contrary. I shall continue to welcome such visits and to have the opportunity of mutual discussion of matters connected with the administration of the public affairs of our country.

“W]hat I do hope to achieve by the setting up of such an organisation,” said the the Prime Minister in conclusion, “is a greater measure of efficiency in dealing with official matters, and more time to devote personally to promoting the wellbeing of all sections of our people. In saying this it must not be understood that the Prime Alinister is the only responsible member of the Government, but experience has proved that very often there is a tendency on the, part of persons to go over the heads of Ministers of the Crown in bringing various matters to the attention of the Prime Alinister, resulting frequently in duplication and unnecessary delay in dealing with them.”