CABINET CHANGES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 847, 16 December 1929, Page 8

CABINET CHANGES

THERE is not much evidence of political wisdom in the Ministerial changes adopted by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, to close the gap left in the Cabinet by the departure of the Hon. T. M. Wilford for London. After three months of serious illness, Sir Joseph has assumed heavier burdens than ever by taking on his shoulders the important portfolio of PostmasterGeneral and Minister of Telegraphs. This may be evidence, not only that the Prime Minister’s indomitable spirit remains undaunted, but also that he is making a splendid recovery from his illness. At the same time, it is questionable whether it is altogether wise. Sir Joseph’s health cannot have been improved by the burdens he had to carry before his illness, and though he brings to the office of Postmaster-General an extensive past experience, his general responsibilities will nevertheless he even heavier than they were before his breakdown.

Relieved of the control of the Post and Telegraph Department, the Hon. J. B. Donald takes over Industries and Commerce, while the Hon. J. G. Cobbe takes Defence, and Mr. Sidey becomes Minister of Justice. Mr. Sidey will make a competent Minister of Justice, but the general principle on which this and the other movements have been made would suggest that Ministers of the Crown are what a large section of the public suspects, mere figureheads for whom experience is not necessary. For twelve months Mr. Donald and Mr. Cobbe have conscientiously striven to master the intricate problems of their departments, and now, when they have served some form of apprenticeship and might begin to give useful service, they are sent to other departments to begin the work all over again.

Possibly the reshuffling as it affects the Post and Telegraph Department is an indication that the Prime Minister and his more experienced associates have at last realised the magnitude of the problems and the depth of discontent within the service. It is no secret that, whether or not Mr. Donald has grappled' with the problems, he certainly has not managed to allay the discontent. Sir Joseph Ward may succeed where Mr. Donald has failed, but it will only be by a belated recognition of the manifest injustices under which the lower-paid ranks labour. As to the other Cabinet changes announced by Sir Joseph, that which affeets Mr. Cobbe, who has shown a very sound grasp of the requirements of the Industries and Commerce portfolio, can be commended even less Than the others. It is regrettable that the numerical weakness of the Government Party should have necessitated this elaborate shuffling.