NATIONAL CABINET.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 82, 5 August 1915, Page 2

NATIONAL CABINET.

FQUAL REPRESENTATION. HOUSE adjourns for fortnight. Per JPuebs association. Wellington, August 4. f This afternoon, in a full House, and in the presence of crowded galleries, Mr Massev rose and said he -Mist ask {the indulgence of the House to make I a statement in regard to a subject, not onlv of interest to Parliament, but also of interest to the public. He need hardly remind people that for some time past negotiations had been ; u progress between the two mam parties]* and the leaders of those parties. The object of the conference was to form a National Cabinet for carrying on the affairs of the country while the war is in progress. Negotiaitnos went on for some time, but a week ago it looked as though they would fall through. TTider ordinary circumstances, he would have advised his party to carry on, even with a slender majority, and he believed they .would have got through successfully | and satisfactorily. Circumstances, | however, were not ordinary, as the iEmpire was passing through the,most I serious crisis in its history. Members 'would agree with him that it was impossible for the Government, with a .slender majority, to do all the work 'and business required to be done m joi der to enable the Dominion to do its duty to the Empire. That was practically the only reason for the I urination of a National Cabinet. He ( hoped that what was being clone j (would bo advantageous to both the (Empire and the country. It was not inappropriate, be thought, that an agreement should have been arrived at on the anniversary of the declaration of war. It was only right that he should mention his appreciation oi the generosity of his colleagues and party. Two) of his colleagues bad ( come forward and offered their resig- j nations in order to make way for the formation of a National. Cabinet. All bis supporters, although some oi them did not agree with what was being done, were perfectly sat.shed to leave everything in his hands. At itli t h e concurrence of the Leader ot the Opposition, they had agreed upon a conference of the principal men from lioih sides of the House, quite constitutionally. at the request ot his Excellency the Governor, to consider the proposal. Speaking generally, he could sav that the result of that conference was known to members. They had arrived at a basis agreed upon by both sides, upon which negotiations would continue for the formation of a National Cabinet. The basis winch tbev agreed upon had been referred to in caucuses of the respective parties, and, so far as he could, learn the result of the party caucuses had been the same in each case, that was to wav; members agreed to stand to thoir respective leaders m the decisions they had com e to. He would not'go into the proposals now m detail but the most important points were as follow: He (Mr Massey) was to continue as Prime Minister the Leader of the Opposition would control the portfolio of Finance, the Hon. j Allen would continue in control ot Defence, and representation from both sides of the House would he equal. He was not able to say what members the new Cabinet would consist of, but European representation would he equal, and the Native member could continue to occupy the same position as he did now. He thought the working of the proposal would 10 successful. The proposal of equal representation would, perhaps, startle some of the'public, and, perhaps, also some of the members, but be would

say thnt the Government in its tenure of office bad never once bad to take n division. He thought a National Government could continue on similar lines. There were a number of details to be arranged, and be proposed to ask Parliament to adjourn for a fortnight to work out these details. LEA DPR OK THK OPPOSITION. Sir Joseph Ward stated that they we re living in abnormal times, which required abnormal changes to meet the circumstances. He wanted to say that hut for this crisis there could he htlle doubt that the change this country was about to witness in the formation ( ,f National Cabinet could not have eventuated. He wanted to make it clear and he spoke for his side ol the House, that he did not ■ regard the change as “coalition” ; he looke d upon it as"i National Cabinet, brought into existence for the purpose of enabling the country to show united action to other Parliaments of the world, and to 'deal with matters directly affecting Hie I war. without party warfare. The whole position was due to the emei!„encv lacing the Empire during the He paid a tribute to the disinterested manner in which his Kxcel--Icm v the Governor had conducted the conference. and added: —“Had a Na- | iuiiiai Cabinet not been formed, the (country would have been faced with dissolution, which at the present juujoturo would have been unthinkable.” |Ho, for one, would not have accepted the icsponsibility for such a state of affairs, but he recognised if was in the host interests of the country to have no delay in vital matters. In his judgment, no Government with a slender majority could, with reasonable certainty and satisfaction, meet 'the national needs in such a crisis as ■ this. A strong Government was need- !( .;l. one that would have the help 1,1 {Parliament as a whole, not only in (matters of legislation, but also in administration. Referring to the basis of equality. Sir Joseph Yfard remarkled that the co-operative plan was one of mutual concessions, instead ol di- ! •

visimts. t<) cn;iMe •ho work I" I"-' f H'" rit>: ( nn. iln recognised llml 'll*' I Prime Minister should retain his posij tion as header of the Relonn Parly; j he himself would retain the position ol 'header of the Opposition, and he was perfectly certain that the others with him would work loyally and zealously with the other party for the benefit of New Zealand and the Empire.

A LABOR MEMBER. Mr Payne, speaking with the indulgence of the House, said that, though ho was not speaking for any party, ho (as a Labor member) would express the opinion that it was to the credit of the House that it had come to tins arrangement. At a time of crisis, lie thought Labor throughout the Dominion would he doing well il it g'" c similar support. i LABOR PAR TV’S VIEWS. I Following is a copy of a letter handed to Sir Joseph Ward this afternoon from the Parliamentary Labor Party . iAt a meeting of the Parliamentary Labor Party this afternoon, those present being Messrs Hindmarsh (chairman', Veitclr. McCombs. Webb and Walker, the following decisions m w

arrived at unanimously:— •1 i,at the extent to which the Labor

Party is prepared to support or oppose the proposed National Cabinet will depend upon the measures 'nought 1m ward by siicli Government and L-’ administration ; that it is not the Labor Party’s wish, nor the wish ol anyone of its number, to he a portfolio in the proposed National Government. - Signed. A. H. Hindmarsh, chairman.