RESIGNATION FROM NEW CABINET

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 39, 9 November 1938, Page 11

RESIGNATION FROM NEW CABINET

Australian Minister Causes Surprise

SOON AFTER BEING

SWORN IN

Objection To Formation 01

Inner Group

By Teirgrnpli.—Press Assn.— Copyright. (Received Nov. 8. 10.4? p.m.)

CANBERRA, November 8. After the Prime Minister. Mr. Lyons, had announced the reconstruction of the Federal Cabinet today the Minister of Customs, Mr. T. W. White, created a surprise in the House of Representatives by announcing his resignation fiom the new Ministry.

Mr. White’s resignation occurred soon after he had been sworn into the reconstructed Cabinet. He said that his action was due to his objection to the formation of an inner Cabinet.

He expressed the opinion that this was tantamount to putting Government policy into the hands of a coterie, constituting a departure from democratic principles.

The Prime Minister, in ii reply, denied any such intention, and declared that the whole aim of the inner Cabinet was to save time. Whatever proposals were formulated would go finally to the full Cabinet, to which responsibility for the decisions would attach. While tiie Prime Minister was reading tiie correspondence between himself and Mr. White, the proceedings were very stormy. The reconstructed Cabinet, previous to .Mr. White's resignation, was announced as follows :— Prime Minister, Mr. J. A. Lyons. Minister of Commerce, Sir Earle Page. Attorney-General and Minister of Industry, Mr. It. G. Menzies. Treasurer, Mr. R. G. Casey. Minister of External Affairs, Mr. W. M. Hughes. Minister of tiie Interior, Mr. J. McEwan. Minister of Civil Aviation, Defence Works, and other Works, Mr. 11. V. C. Thorby. Minister of Naval, Military and Air Defence, Mr. G. A. Street (at present Parliamentary Defence Secretary). Minister of Customs, Mr, T. W. White. Postmaster-General, Mr. A. Cameron. Vice-President of the Executive Council and Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator McLeay. Minister cf Health and Repatriation, .Senator Foil. Ministers without Portfolios: Assisting the Prime Minister, Mr. J. A. Perkins; assisting the Minister of Commerce, Mr. V. Thompson; assisting the Treasurer, Senator McDonald. Tiie six senior Ministers, Mr. Lyons, .Sir Earle Page, and Messrs. Menzies, Casey, Hughes, and Thorby, will form an inner Cabinet group to deal with major matters of national significance and Government policy. The remainder will be divided into two sub-committees which will submit their proposals to the inner Cabiner, ■while the deliberations of the inner Cabinet will be reported to the whole Cabinet. Mr. Thorby holds the major Defence portfolio. REACTION TO CHANGE UNENTHUSIASTIC Surprise At Limited Nature I SYDNEY, November 8. The “Sydney Morning Herald” says that in tiie division of tiie Defence portfolio, Mr. Street holds tiie major position of controlling (he fighting services. The “Herald” adds that tiie limited nature of the changes has caused snr- 1 prise. The reaction Io the announcement is not enthusiastic, and the gem l - I nil opinion is that, it will not satisfy I critics of the Government within its own parties.