THE CABINET.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 15, 19 January 1926, Page 14

THE CABINET.

NEW APPOINTMENTS. THREE ANNOUNCED. MR. J. A. YOUNG HEALTH. MR. F. J. ROLLESTOX, JUSTICE. M. 0. J. HAWKEN T , AGRICULTURE. iCy Telegraph.—Special to " Star.") WELLINGTON". Monday. The new appointments to the Cabinet wore announced by the Prime Minister to-day as follows: — Mr. 0. J. Hawken, M.P. for Eginont, to be Minister of Agriculture. Mr. F. J. Rolleston, M.P. for Tiinaru. to he Minister of Justice and Minister of Defence. Mr. J. A. Young, M.P. for Hamilton, to be .Minister of Health. The Hon. W. Downie Stewart will take the position of Attorney-General. These are- the only new appointments which his : Excellency lias been advised to make immediately, bur. further Minis••'rial changes will be recommended in the near future in order to bring the Ministry up to full strength. In connection with the appointments the Prime Minister has issued the following statement: — "It will he remembered that the vacancy in the Cabinet caused by tae death of the late Prime Minister lias not been filled. A further vacancy has been .■aused by the retirement through illhealth of Sir R. Heaton Rhodes, -who held' the portfolios of Defence and Commissioner of State' Forests, and who did not, seek re-election to the present Parliament. I have on several occasions publicly intimated that early in the New Year I would take steps to reconstruct the Cabinet, but before making any reference to the new appointments I would like to express my keen sense of the valuable services rendered by mr Heaton Rhodes, - extending over a long period of years, and of the great loss that we and the country have sustained by his retirement. """Throughout his long Parliamentary career, and more particularly as a Minister of the Crown, he has been imbued with a high sense of public duty, and has at all times carried out the duties of his Ministerial positions with credit, strict integrity, and befitting dignity. I part with great regret from a colleague with whom I have been so intimately associated since 1910. and who was also a member of Mr. Massey's first Ministry in 1912.

Sir F. D. Bell's Retirement. "It is well known that Sir Francis Bell has expressed his intention of retiring from Ministerial life, and his resignation of his office as Attorney-General will take effect at once, but he will retain the portfolio of External Affairs until his departure for Europe in March next, when he will leave to act as New Zealand's representative at the Assembly of the League of Nation 3at Geneva. This perhaps is not the proper occasion to refer at length to the conspicuous record of public service Sir Francis Bell has rendered to the Dominion, but I can say that the hiph. position occupied by him for so many year 3in the Government will indeed be hard to fill. It is satisfactory to be able to state that he will retain his seat in the Executive

Council and that the Government and Xew Zealand will still be able to have the' benefit of his experienced counsel. "Although the country is not to lose Sir FraDcis Bell's services immediately, yet the date of his departure is drawing near. I wish, to announce therefore that

the Hon. W. Downie Stewart will now succeed to the Attorney-Generalship. "iMay I say that where there are so many members possessing , undoubted qualifications for Ministerial office I have found the task of selection difficult, but it has been made with an effort to command the approbation and confidence of Parliament and the country.

A Change in Finance. "A further readjustment will include Finance being placed under the Hon.. W. Dou'nie Stewart, in accordance with the intimation made last year. The present Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Noaworthy, will continue to administer the Treasury until the end of the current financial year. "I should like also to say that although .Sir Maui Pomare is relinquishing the portfolio of Health, which he has successfully administered, he will continue to represent the native race in the Executive Council and retain the administration of the Cook and Other Islands.

'"I am of the opinion that the Prime Minister should not be burdened with a mass of administrative detail connected with State Departments, but should rather be available to render his Ministers assistance in discussing and deciding suitable organisation and staff, to give proper effect to policy decisions. I take this opportunity to anounce that while I anl retaining Public Works for the present, a change in Ministerial control of this Department is contemplated shortly. I hope to be- in a position to advise further appointments early in the year." ■The complete Cabinet changes announced to-day, without anticipating those to follow by the end of March, leave Cabinet constituted as follows:— Hon. J. G. Coates: Prime Minister, Minister of Railways, Native Affairs, and in charge of Electoral Department. Sir Francis Bell: Minister of External Affairs. Mr. D. H. Guthrie: Member of the Executive without portfolio. Mr. Downie Stewart: Attorney-General, Minister of Customs, Industries and Commerce. Minister in charge of the Board of Trade. Mr. W. Nosworthy: Minister of Finance and Associated Departments, Minister of Immigration, Tourist and Health Resorts. Sir James Parr: Minister of Education, Postmaster-General, Minister in enarge of Police and Prisons. Mr G. J. Anderson: Minister of Labour Mines, Marine, Pensions, and Subsidiary Departments. Mr A. D. McLeod: Minister of Lands, Discharged Soldier Settlement, and Scenery Preservation Mr R. F. Bollard: Minister of Internal Aflairs and Subsidiary Departments. Mr. 0. J. Hawken: Minister of Agriculture. Commissioner of State Forests. Mr. F. J. Rolleston: Minister of Justice and Defence. Mr. J. A. Young, Minister of Public Health and Hospitals. Sir Mam Pomare: Minister for the Cook Islands, Member of the Executive Council representing the Native Races. (Part of the above appeared in our ■ Second Edition yesterday.)