The Waikato Times FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1936. THE BURDEN OF OFFICE

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19904, 5 June 1936, Page 6

The Waikato Times FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1936. THE BURDEN OF OFFICE

In their own interests the members of the Labour Party should urge the Prime Minister to make a. re~distribution of portfolios. The record of the first session of a Labour Government has shown that, in matters touching the vital questions of finance, the only member of the party to show any mastery of details and a clear Conception of policy has been the Hon. \V. Nash. He has had to carry the burden. and it is a good thing, both for Parliament and for the country, that the Minister is a clear and forceful speaker. The silence of the occupants of the back benches may have been due, in part, to [ho OXN‘K‘ise of party discipline, and they laboured under a disadvantage in that, until they met, in caucus, they did not know the scope of the measures they would be called upon to support. But when opportunity did present itself it cannot be claimed that any member of the rank and file impressed the country by his grasp of financial problems.

The appoilLLLnent of Mr Nash to the portfolio of Marketing means added responsibilities, and of a very important and exacting nature. It must be impossible for any man to fill efficiently the following offices: Minister of Finance, Marketing, Customs, Stamp Duties, State Advances, Land and Income Tax, Public Service Sup—erannuation, Public Trust, Life and Fire Insurance and Census and Statistics. Anyone who tried to discharge fully the duties attached to those offices Would be attempting the impossible, and some way should he found to relieve the Minister of the minor posts. It has been claimed that the lfinistry consists of capable men, so that there should be no difficulty in re~arranging the less important portfolios and distributing the routine work. It is certain that the development of the new Department of Marketing will occupy a great deal of the Minister’s time and attention. New ground has to be broken, and the issues are of such importance to the primary producers that there must be no mistakes.

It is known that Mr Nash is not sparing himself in an effort to cope with the work of the numerous Departments that he controls, but the Labour Party should see to it that the burden is light cned in some way. His approaching visit to London will provide an excellent opportunity to make the change, because the various offices will have to be taken over temporarily by other Ministers and, in some instances, the transfer might just as well be made permanent. It will be interesting to see who, in the absence of Mr Nash, is to act as Minister of Finance. The appointment may indicate the second choice of the Prime Minister for that important branch of the Government’s work. There is no one whose ability during the financial debates of the session has marked him out for the position. In these matters Mr Nash has made himself indis~ pensible and many outside the ranks of the party are anxious that he should not attempt to do too much. He has no colleague Who could be said to enjoy the confidence of the country in the handling of financial questions.