The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1939. CABINET AND FARMERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 264, 8 November 1939, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1939. CABINET AND FARMERS.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the -.crovg that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the aood that we can do.

Changes in tho composition of the Labour Government have been remarkably few. Of the original

team selected by Mr. Savage in November, 1935, all are still in office except the Hon. Mark Fagan, who retired mainly for health reasons, was elected Speaker of the Legislative Council, and has since

been replaced by the Hon. David Wilson as Leader of the Council and

now a member of the Executive Council without Portfolio. The only

other change of importance, the

transfer of Mr. Armstrong from Labour to Housing, brought no l'rcsli mind to the Cabinet room. This stability of the Cabinet, of course, is lint regarded as an unmixed blessing by a group of newer and, generally

speaking, younger members of the Labour party, who have at various times pressed for changes which would involve promotion for some of them, and have claimed for caucus tho right to elect all Ministers. Mr. Savage has refused to yield this traditional prerogative of the Prime Minister, and the country, disliking

"caucus rule," undoubtedly approves his stand. It is therefore the more disappointing that when a new appointment is made it should be such as to strengthen the representation in the Cabinet of the urban, industrial interests, which are already so strongly represented.

Even before the war, the Government had ceased to emphasise the importance of "distribution" and was emphasising "production." Now, farming production is of the utmost importance, and the Government, both in the United Kingdom's interest and in the Dominion's, wants to see a great increase in the exports of primary produce. It is, however, faced with unrest among the farmers, and the president of the Farmers' Union has informed the Prime Minister that, in his executive's opinion, "the people of the United Kingdom should not rely upon obtaining any substantially increased supplies from this Dominion." The propriety of publicly making such a statement at this time is gravely doubtful, though it is preceded by the remark that the union's earlier efforts have apparently failed to impress upon Ministers the urgency and the seriousness of the situation. It should not be necessary, in a country where the farming industries have always been important, for an organisation outside Cabinet to be continually telling it what it ought to do. There should be members in the Cabinet well qualified to express the farmers' point of view. But there is now a widespread opinion that the problems and sentiments of the primary industries cannot be brought to Cabinet's attention sufficiently or strongly enough by its single farmer member. There is an obvious need of another farmer Minister, additional to Mr. Lee Martin, able to speak with authority and force both to Cabinet and to the farmers. There is need also of a reallocation of portfolios which would leave Mr. Jones able to give undivided attention to Defence. The appointment of Mr. Wilson has been made for political convenience, and has no relation to the needs of the country which the Cabinet is trying to administer.