“PATHETICALLY WEAK”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 July 1941, Page 4

“PATHETICALLY WEAK”

POSITION OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SOME TALK OF DROPPING MENZIES. POSSIBILITY OF GENERAL ELECTION. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) ’ CANBERRA, July 4. The Federal Parliament has gone into recess till the end of August after one of the stormiest weeks in its career, affording a welcome breather for what has come to be regarded as a shaky Ministry. The four defeats in the House of Repre-j sentatives last night demonstrated that the Government’s position is pathetically weak. The Ministry’s troubles are contributed to from the Government side, these having developed since the recent Cabinet reshuffle. Last night’s voting macle it clear that the Government no longer can depend on the Victorian Independent, Mr Wilson, to retain its slender majority; whenever he votes with the Labour Party the Ministry suffers a defeat. Federal Ministers are frankly uneasy over the trend of events, and the demeanour today of some of the senior members of Cabinet suggests that it would take little to push them into a general election, even at the risk of political suicide. Some are known tc hold the view that if the position continues to deteriorate a reconstruction ol I the Cabinet with Mi' Menzies no longer Prime Minister might with advantage be explored. Discussion in the lobbies reveals that there is a real possibility of a Government defeat during the forthcoming Budget session, when the Labour Party is expected to fight for increased social expenditure. Mr Menzies has weathered the storm reasonably well, though he is obviously feeling the strain as a result ol the continued heckling and overwork.