NEW CABINET

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 403, 9 April 1937, Page 7

NEW CABINET

CHANCELLOR’S POST Candidates in Running. By Ai • Mail. London, March 23. Political prophets are all at sea. about the new Cabinet which w-'lll be governing Britain within a week or two after the Coronation. For almost a 'year it has bee It known that Mr Baldwin would r nign the Premiership in May. Mr. Chamberlain has bad at leett that long to medf'iate on the composition of his Cabinet. Rumour and gossip have hafli ample scope. And yet evei no -", on the eve of the reshuffle, n> two politicians agf . e on who it likely to get the key posts. The most important post after the Premiership is that of Chancellor of the Exchequer. Thnne candidates a,re in the running: Sit Samuel Hoare, Mr Runeiman and Sir James Simon. On purely personal grounds Sir Samu I Hoare has tile best chances. His achievements at the India Office a.nd the Air Ministry are regarded as greatly to his cradiL Political con*.(derations favour Ml- Runeiman and Sir John S-inion, who represent the Liberal element in t ie National Government. Tin's group claims the Chancellorship as th> price of its coop ration.

Aigainst this- is tihe inescapable argument (that Mr Uunciman is the oldest son of a peqr well over 80. Lord Runciman’s deith might at any moment translate h'm to the House of Lords. For other reasons Sir John Siihon may also go to the Upper House. He is almost the only man suitable to fill the post of Lord Chancellor, which will fall vacant in May. If the new Chancellor of the Exchequer is to be >a National Liberal the only other possible choice it- Mr Hore Belisha, the ebullient Minister of Transport. He he.s already been a junior Minister of the Treasury.