NEW MINISTERS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 141, 15 May 1940, Page 7

NEW MINISTERS

NINE MORE NAMED. SATISFACTION VOICED. CHOICE OF MEN. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) Received May 15, 11.20 a.m. RUGBY, May 14. Nine more appointments to the new all-party Ministry under Mr Winston Churchill have been announced. They are as follow : SECRETARY FOR DOMINIONS AFFAIRS.—Lord Caldecote. SECRETARY FOR SCOTLAND. —Mr Ernest Brown. MINISTER FOR AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION (a new office). —Lord Beaverbrook. PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.—Air H. Ramsbotbam. MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE.—Mr R. S. N. Hudson. MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT.—Sir John Keith. MINISTER FOR SHIPPING.—Mr Ronald Cross. MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC WARFARE..—Dr Hugh Dalton. CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER.—Lord Hankey. Two of the new Ministerial appointments have aroused special interest and comment. Bringing the Trade Union leader, Air Ernest Bovin, from outside polities to serve as Labour Minister and direct the organisation of man-power for the war effort is cordially welcomed on all hands. The Yorkshire Post says: “Air Bey in is a dynamic personality who commands unequalled confidence from trade unionists everywhere. He is the right man to tackle the man-power problems of our war effort.”

In a speech on Monday, Air Bevin said no vested interests must lie allowed to stand in the way of getting the workers working. That was, he believed, the new Government’s policy, and in that belief he was going to ask the work people to “work like hell.” The appointment which has been scrutinised with special attention by political writers is that of Air L. C. AI. S. Amery to the India - Office.

The Manchester Guardian says: “There is hardly one more critical or one which, if it had reflected Mr Churchill’s past views, might be more disastrous. Air Amery’? speeches in the controversy of 1934-5 were marked by foresight and a liberal spirit and we would ask nothing better than that he should stick to the principle he then laid down—‘Wherever we have given self-government in our strength in the past, it lias succeeded,’ and ‘ln building up this Empire, we have more than once ventured upon great acts of faith, and they have succeeded.’ ” The News-Chronicle recalls that Air Amery was born in India.

Viscount Co'.decoto (formerly Sir Thomas Inskip) lias had a distinguished political caieer. Until the new National Government was formed lie was I.ord Chancellor and prior to that Minister for the Co ordination of Defence. He was Solicitor-General' from 1922-1928 and 193132, and .Attorney-General in 1928 29 and 1932-36. During the Great War he scried in the Naval Intelligence Division of the Admiralty and in 1918 he-was head of the Naval Law Branch of the Admiralty. He has taken a prominent part in the administrative side of Church of England affairs.

Willian Maxwell Aitkon, first Baron Beaverbiook, was born in 1879, the son of a Scottish Minister in New Brunswick, Canada, lie was with the Canadian Expeditionary Force as an eye-witness and Canadian Government representative on the Western Front in the last war. In 1913 he was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister of Information. He is proprietor of the Daily Express. Mr Ernest Brown has been Minister of Labour since 1935 and Mr 11. Kamsbotham was recently appointed Minister of Education. Mr 11. S. Hudson, who bad been Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Overseas Trade, was recently transferred to the post of Minister of Shipping. Sir John Keith, the former Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation, was appointed Minister ol ' Information shortly after the outbreak of the war. Mi It. Jl. Cross has been Minister of Economic Warfare and' Dr Hugh Dalton is a well-known Labour member of Parliament. Lord Hankey, who as Sir Maurice Hankey lor some years was secretary to the Imperial Defence Committee, was made a Minister without Portfolio in Mr Chamberlain’s War Cabinet. MR CHURCHILL’S QUALITIES THE MAN OF THE HOUR. I British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 13. Whnt is probably the typical view on the change in the Government of “the man in the street” was given in a broadcast on Monday evening. Under the pseudonym of “North Briton,’’ n broadcaster, speaking of the new Prime Minister, said: “I think there is no doubt anywhere that Mr Churchill lias special qualities as war Prime Minister at this time". For years he lias been warning us of what the Nazis were up to and what they would do when their moment came. We see how lie was right. “He is a man full of drive and energy, and when lie makes war- —lie makes war. He lias about him the leaders of organised Labour and the leaders of Liberalism as well as men of his own -party. Their one purpose is to break the N.gzi menace of which the new Prime Minister' has always warned us. If the German propaganda machine tries to churn out the old lie that Britain is not united in its determination we can now fling it back in their teeth.’’ The speaker concluded by saving: “Hitler says the day has come. Right! A united Britain is going to .see to it that for Hitler and his Nazis it is a day of defeat.” NAZI ’PLANE LOSSES. MANY CAPTURED INTACT. LONDON, May 13. The Air Ministry announces that of the 400 or more German aircraft lost in the past three days, French ground defences have been responsible for 34, Allied ’planes-, in France and Belgium SB, several were forced down at sea and large numbers were captured intact in Holland, or destroyed while on the ground. The share of the It.A.F. is 40. The Berlin News Agency claims that 100 Allied aeroplanes were shot clown yesterday. It admits losing 35. “Lowflying German bombers* caused heavy casualties among French troop concern trations north-westward of Namin' <Belgium),” the agency states.