THE CABINET.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 134, 8 June 1929, Page 9

THE CABINET.

LABOUR MINISTRY.

Mr. Sidney Webb Goes To

Dominion Office.

HRST WOMAN MINISTER.

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received 12.30 p.m.)

RUGBY, June 7. The list of the new Labour Government is as follows: — Prime Minister.—Mr. Ramsay MacDonald. Chancellor of .the Exchequer.—Mr. Philip Snowden. Secretary for Foreign Affairs.—Mr. Arthur Henderson. lord Privy Seal.—Mr. J. H. Thomas. Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs and Colonies. —Mr. Sidney Webb. j/)t& President of the Council.—Lord Parmoor. lord Chancellor. —Lord Justice Sankey. Secretary of State for Home Affairs.— Mr. J. R. Clynes. Secretary of State for India.—Captain Wedgwood-Benn. Secretary of State for War.—Mr. Thomas Shaw. Secretary of State for Air. —Lord Thomson. Minister of Health. —Mr. A. Greenwood. Minister of Labour.—Miss Bondfield. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. — Mr. Noel Buxton. President of the Board of Education. — Sir C. P. Trevelyan. President of the Board of Trade.—Mr. W. Graham. First Lord of the Admiralty.—Mr. A. V. Alexander. Secretary of State for Scotland.—Mr. W. Adamson. Jfirst Commissioner of Works. —Mr. George Lansbury. All the above appointments carry with them seats in the Cabinet. Other Ministerial posts announced are:— Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. — Sir Oswald Mosley. Attorney-General.— Mr. W. Jowitt, K.C. Solicitor-General. —Mr. J. B. Melville, K.C. Minister of Pensions. —Mr. F. 0. Roberts. Minister of Transport. —Mr. Herbert Morrison. Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Scotland.—Mr. Tom Johnston. Postmaster-General. —Mr. H. B. LeesSmith. Paymaster-General. — Lord Arnold, without pay. SIDNEY WEBB'S POST. New Dominions Secretary Will Be Raised To Peerage.

MR. THOMAS DECLINED.

(Australian Press Assn.—United Service.)

(Received 1 p.m.)

LONDON, June 7.

Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald's Cabinetmaking has followed the expected lines, with one noteworthy surprise, so complete that the political tipsters' lists during the whole week left the Dominions Office blank.

It was known Mr. J. H. Thomas wanted something bigger than his old office; indeed, he aspired to the Foreign Office, but when he yielded to Mr. MacDonald's blandishment, that the big job of unemployment wanted a big man, with vision and initiative, it caused a recasting of the political guessing, with no one in the offing to fill the Dominions Wank. There was never the breath of a suggestion that Mr. Sidney Webb would be selected. Mr. Webb's lack of a Parliamentary «eat will be overcome by his elevation to the peerage. Some Omissions Explained. A British official wireless message says the Scottish legal Cabinet 'appointments are still under consideration. The reason why the name of Sir Henry Slesser, who was Solicitor-General in the last Labour Government, does not appear in the list is that other services have been assigned to him, which will le made known later.

It is also pointed out that the Rt. Eon. Vernon Hartshorn, who was Post-master-General in the previous Labour Administration, is temporarily engaged on the Indian Statutory Commission.

Lord Arnold, the unpaid PaymasterGeneral in the new Government, has accepted a position with nominal duties in order that he may be free for work m the House of Lords, and in other ttaye. Sir Oswald Mosley and Mr. Lansbury, it is announced, will also have other duties imposed upon them in connection with the schemes for national reconstruction which are being prepared. Only Six New Ministers. Although several Ministers have changed to othei Departments, 13 out of 19 members of the new Cabinet were members of the 1924 Labour Cabinet. In his earlier Administration Mr. MacDonald himself combined the duties ot foreign Secretary, now undertaken by Hr. Henderson, with thqee of P«m e Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.

With the appointment of Miss Margaret Bondfield as Minister of Labour, a Woman attains Cabinet rank for tne first time.

One of the first matters for Mr. MacDonald to deal with in connection witli the Dominions Office is the Imperial Conference. It is understood that Labour is particularly anxious to have discussions with the Prime Ministers ot the Dominions, as, British policy natur-β-lly will undergo certain changes, but Sot necessarily of a drastic nature.

The Imperial Conference definitely *Ul be called for 1930 at the earliest foment that can be arranged to nt in Wth Labour's programme.