WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, 10 March 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

RECONSTRUCTING THE CABINET. THE RECENT APPOINTMENTS. (Special Correspondent). Wellington, March 5. The familiar phrase ''so far t,o good" closely enough summarises the popular view of the recent appointments to the Cabinet, Mr. Lee and Mr. Pan- are not brilliant politicians, but they are eminently "sale." They both are lawyers, members of the profession generally 'supposed to be endowed with the gift of speech, but by those who know them best they arc expected to add rather to the administrative strength of the Ministry, than to its debating ability. Mr. Lee came into the House at the "election of 11111, and has proved himself an extraordinarily industrious and plodding member ami ought to make an admirable Minister of Justice. Mr. Parr arrived at the election of 10U with a good record in local politics and is held by his friends to be particularly well qualified for tiic office of Minister of Education.

RETIRING MINISTERS. Tlie retirement of Sir William Fraser <uid Sir William Homes has been taken for granted for some time past, both these gentlemen having expressed a desire to be- relieved from the worries and responsibility's of office, but the retirement of Sir Francis Bell has come as n surprise to the public. Sir Francis has been such a tower of strength to the Reform Government all through its career, both in the Cabinet room ana in the Legislative Council, that it was expected he would be induced to "carry on" for some years longer. However, he has now fished the end of .the next session as the limit of the sacrifices he can make in the public'service and his place in the Ministry will be extremely hard to fill. Mr. Massey foreshadows "two other changes, possibly three," his intention apparently being to bring the numerical strength of the Cahinet up to nine, exclusive of the representatives of the Maori race.

THE BEST BRACTS. The dream of a Cabinet constituted of the "best brains" in the House, irrespective of party, which never was taken very seriously by those acquainted with the difficulties that sto6d in the way of its realisation, is now well nigh forgotten. But the Evening Post, by way of saving its face, it may be, make's a passing allusion to the political arcadia. "The Prime Minister," it says, "owes it to the country to put Jiia working team in harness as soon as possible and this duty is still only partly performed. Tf ho does not fall into the error of overworking himself, he should bo able to draw round him a Ministerial group worthy of the country and of the unexampled opportunity now presented. And we still hope that his vision will not necessarily be limited by the narrow line of an unreal partyis'm." This is the last we are likely to hear Of the "best brains" dream. LOOKING ON. ' ; To-day, while his political opponents are exercising themselves with all these perplexing problems, Sir Joseph Ward is leaving for a six or seven weeks' trip to Australia, where business has been calling him for three or four years past. On his return he will prepare for a similar mission to the Old Country and probably will be away from the Dominion till the end of the year. Questioned on the subejet this morning, he laughed at the suggestion that he might remain in London in some representative capacity. Such an idea has never entered my head," he said, "nor, I think I can safely say, the head of Mr. Massoy. New Zealand is my home and it is always good enough for me." He wa; just as concise in his answer to a question concerning his political future. That was all in the air and depended upon the people, not upon himself. He was not thinking polities, in the personal sense, just now.