NATIONAL CABINET.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 August 1915, Page 2

NATIONAL CABINET.

THE QASTLNG VOTE-QUESTION. By Telegraph.—(Special to Haily News. Wellington, Last Night. Several memlbers of the National Ministry are still away from Wellington, I>ut they will all return by Wednesday, when the first meeting of the new Cabinet will be held. Probably an announcement will be made to-morrow regarding the allocation of rooms, and the appointment of 'private secretaries, two matters of considerable interest to persons who have dealing's with Ministers. The present corps of private secretaries, some of whom have, served successive Ministers for many years, is not large enough to provide for the needs of a Ministry containing thirteen members. The first business of the National Ministry, it is understood, will be the consideration of the. Budget and the financial matters connected with it. The Financial State-" went is late already, and a-n effort will he made to have it ready for presentation to Parliament soon after the, reopening of the session, at the end o-f next week. The creation of a Cabinet containing five representatives of each side of the .House lias raised the question of whe-. tiler not a deadlock would 4>e solved by the exercise of a costing vote. The answer to the question is that Cabinet makes its own rules, and has no rule governing this .point. Mr. Masse;.- stated in the House of Representatives the other day that there i.-.." v'/t been a division ■involving the cour.liiig of votes during the life of t'he Reform Cabinet, and it is understood that the records of the 1 liibj-j-qil. A.d i nVinifitj;jtiiops,,^oui i d llfjjj 4p, jlafy.seOjix-lH'ijl/v.e/y 'jfyr' Jjji'ck.fova fliyisioir. ;Cl3. ( it(pet is p'vpilieial, bpdy, Precedent (loes'not appear to give the Prime Minister a casting vote, and probably he could not claim it. The point might become one of importance before the, end of the life of the National Ministry, but the present intention of both sides, as stated by Mr. Massev and Sir Joseph Ward already, is to avoid divisions, and settle all questions by agreement. Presumably agreement will he interpreted, in case of need, to mean compromise.