WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 November 1917, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT.

THE NON-PARTY EXPERIMENT. (Special Correspondent). Wellington, Oct. 31. The happenings during the riving days of the session have revived interest in several questions which were eagerly discussed on both sides of the House when "he National Cabinet was first proposed and when it was actually formed. When Mr. Massey made overtures to Sir Joseph Ward for a combination of forces for the period of tlie war the leader of the Opposition made it an imperative condition of his acquiescence that there diould be equal representation of the two parties in the Ministry. It was on this rock that the negotiations between the leaders threatened to split. Each of them was insistent on his own view of the situation. Mr. Massey demanded "a preponderance of power." and Sir Joseph Ward positively refused to accept anything less than equality. Then the Governor intervened, and as a result of a conference between his Excellency and the party leaders the present National Cabinet," consisting of six Ministers from each side, was formed. THE VACANT PORTFOLIO. This was the arrangement that existed up to the time of the death of Dr. MoNab, which occurred during the absence of Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward in London, and it was generally expected that Sir John Findlay. who succeeded Dr. McNab in his representation of the Hawk#s Bay electorate, would be invited to take his deceased friend's place in the Cabinet. But apparently Sir John was not entertaining ambitions in that direction, He declined, very respectfully but quite firmly, to second' the Addresci in-Reply at the opening of Parliament, and, while remaining scrupulously loyal to his pledge to support the National Government, has frankly criticised it.o administration and deplored its failure to realise all the expectations of its friends. His own admirers are talking of him as the leader of a new democratic party after the war, and meanwhile he is keeping his own counsel, and proving a great acquisition to the debating power of the House. REFORM PREPONDERANCE. The point, however, which is interesting tlie public, or, rather, that portion of it which ta.kes any interest in such matters, is that the absence of a successor to the late' Dr. McNab has left Mr. Massey with the preponderance of power he insisted upon before the Governor's intervention. There are now six Reform and five Liberal Ministers sitting at the Cabinet table, and many profess to soe ir» the happenings of the last few days the dominant hand of the Reform 1 majority. It is a matter of constitutional usage, as well as of precedent and of etiquette, Cut the minority in the Cabinet must ;"»nd loyally by the decisions of tl|e majority. The only alternative open to a Minister who cannot reconcile his own views of those of a majority of his colleagues is resignation, and resignation in war time, apart from all personal considerations, is a serious matter. NON-PARTY GOVERNMENT. Whether or not the formation of a National Cabinet has given the country non-party government is still a moot question. While the two parties were eonally represented it did so theoretically, but even then it was easy for a Minister, on one side or the other, to impart a party bias to his administration. Now with one party holding a majority in the Cabinet the same bias may be given to legislation, That this has actually happened during the last/ day or fcwlo several' members of the House not, ordinarily given to unreasoning prejudices, arc ready to contend. They say that a conBtitntion. built up on the party system does not lend itself to the ideal of nonnarty government, and that the most to be expected from the suspension of sectional hostilities is more or less unsatisfactory oovernmeiit by eomnromisc. To this extent the National Cabinet, with all its goud war work to its credit, has been a failure.