NATIONAL CABINET.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 July 1915, Page 5

NATIONAL CABINET.

SECRET DEFENCE COMMITTEE. I'iiAcTKAL Mi.V-J'AKTV ' * <JU\'l-:i!N.MJ'L\T. ]iy Tc]i'-.'rii|(li.-S|Kriiil to News. Wellington, Lust Might. 'l'lii' Prime Minister, when asked if he hiiil isnytliiuu- to s.iy regarding n coalition, replied that In- was not yet ready to make nny i-oniiiiiininitioii. The matti :■ is likely to rest there over tbt* „ Week I'llil.

Talk of coalition lias caused the work •'!' Hie Secret Defence Committee to lie cci'looked by many people, yet, a* ii mutter of fact, tlmt committee :a providing noiiparlv government of a practical kind. When the Military p e „. Nii'iis Hill canie before the Douse of lie] Tosentativcs early in the week the delate showed clarlv that the (iovernmciil s scheme was regarded as overeconomical liy tin., majority of members "i (he House. I 'juii-r normal conditions there would have been a controversy, terminating in a division or series of divisions, and supporters of the Government probably would have felt it nece*. saiy to swallow their convictions iti tlie way common to ail. supporters of all {.'overnments in order to save the Ministrv i roin defeat, ;ind an unsatisfactory might have ..one on the Statute Hook, but in this instance the measure was simply referred back to the Secret JJelence Committee, and that bodv, thoroughly representative of opinion on both. sides of the House, is engaged at the pi-cent time in recastin- the scheduli ol the Minister's liill. Here is a precedent for settling nil knotty points that may arise in connection with the war legislation.