MR BAVIN'S TASK.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19154, 10 November 1927, Page 18

MR BAVIN'S TASK.

NEW SOUTH WALES MINISTRY. A DEPLETED TREASURY. (reoM otm owk coßHisroKmsin.) SYI>NEY ( October 27. One of the Sydney newspapers last week produced a half-page picture of Mr Bavin sitting at his office table the day that he took over the Premiership from Mr Lang. Mr Bavin looked worried, and tired. He looked, in fact, as though he had the weight, not only of New South "Wales, but of the whole world, on his shoulders. That Mr Bavin wears a worried look is not «■ bit surprising. He has taken on a tremendous task, and one which, from the purely pecuniary standpoint, wilt pay him i'ar less handsomely than his more serene life as a barrister. He is a slight man physically, with hardly an ounce of flesh to spare, in striking contrast to the massive form of Mr Lang, of absolute tireless energy, and conscientious to a degree., Mr Bavin will have to take great care of himself if he is going to stand up to the new job, which includes, of course, not a few of Labour's legacies, among them an empty Treasury and huge commitments to face.

Mr Bavin carried himself the great brunt of the Nationalists' attack, and deserves if ever a man did, the honour which has come to him. He is yet another of the many successful New Zea landers in Australia. Mr Bavin might easily be regarded by the man in the street as cold and aloof, the type, in short, of keen intellect and logical habits which does■ not enjoy with any abundant zest the lighter side of life. Perhaps it is his inability to be flippant about matters which he regards as serious which has helped to give this impression. Those, however, who know him intimately, say there are few men in their leisure hours with a greater appreciation of the best that life offers, than Tom Bavin. Fishing is one of his chief weaknesses when out of harness. For all that he has gained, publicly and privately, Mr Bavin has had to fight hard. No Leader of the Opposition had a. more gruelling ordelal, for example, than Mr Bavin in th© last Parliament. There were those, even among the Nationalists, who questioned his capacity for leadership, but in the late campaign he more than vindicated himself.

Ministerial Colleagues. One thing at least can be said quite dispassionately of the composite Ministry of Nationalists and Country Party which cannot always be truthfully said of Governments that come and go in the whirligig of politics, and that is that the great majority of them, at all events, are peculiarly fitted for the portfolios allotted to thorn. The Ministry, without being a galaxy of brilliant men, has on its side youth and commonsense and stability of outlook, and, in general strength and ability, is much above the average, as far as A T ew South Wales is concerned. Several young men, notably the Minister for Education (Mr Drummond) and the Minister for Justice (Mr Lee), have been given a chance to win their spurs. Of the fourteen new Ministers only six have previously held office. One of the most piquant touches about the dramatic swing of the political pendulum is the appointment of Mr Stevens, an untried Parliamentarian, as assistant treasurer, and treasurer to all intents and purposes, since Mr Bavin will have his hands full as Premier. It was the retirement of Mr Stevens, then one of the highest public officials in the Treasury, that caused such a hullabaloo in Parliament and out of it not long ago, and that led to most, bitter' attacks on the Lang Government. Time takes its revenge. Today Mr Stevens is back in the Treasury, not merely as an official, but as the second in Ministerial command of it. One of the surprises of the new Ministry was the appointment of Dr. Arthur' as Minister for Health. Professionally, no one was more fitted for the job, but, on the floor of the Hbuse, Dr. Arthur manifested at times an independence of view which suggests a somewhat unusual setting for aim in hiR new role. Several aspects of health reform were a positive obsession with Dr. Arthur. Whether as Minister he will be allowed! the full play that he exercised as a private member is quite another matter.

Peter Loughlin. Perhaps the biggest tragedy of the New South Wales election, was the defeat of Mr Peter Loughlin, who, more than any other man and entirely re* gardless of his own interests, was responsible for forcing the Lang Government to the country nine months earlier than would otherwise have happened. As an independent, he found himself at the election wedged between tbo Party machines. To-day, a comparatively poor man, he is out of public life, which he ornamented so strikingly by his sincerity and his honesty of purpose. It was as Minister for Lands in the Lang Government and as deputy leader of the Labour Party that Mr Loughlin left the Party when he realised that the Government had surrendered to the extremists. To-day prominent business and other men of every shade of politics except extreme Labour are co-oper-ating in a public tribute to Mr Loughlin, to take the form of a very substan-. tial cheque. The fund was suggested in fact by one of the strongest of Labour's opponents, a self-made man who to-day owns one of Sydney's biggest emporiums. In his adversity Peter Loughlin. one of the finest figures that ever graced public life in Australia, has found legion practical friends. A keen lover of Nature, never happier than when in quiet haunts of birds and wild life generally, a simple-hearted man whose life was governed by principle and who had won the deep respect of all sides of the House, a man of outstanding ability, and with a knowledge of rural problems which no one else in the Labour movement possessed, he blended as a politician unusual characteristics. He was Gnoe a school teacher. It is sincerely to be hoped that he does not have to'go back to that calling.