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TOO CABINETS OR ONE?

There has been projected into the discussions whether or not the general election should be held as usual, an alternative question that should be clearly understood in order that there may be no confusion on the subject in the public mind. The suggestion is that a compromise might be made with the Opposition to a coalition or national government formed from the present Parliament, by increasing the personnel of the existing War Cabinet on a basis of representation acceptable to both parties. This would mean the perpetuation of the two-cabinet system adopted by the Government fourteen months ago when it refused to accept the obligation placed upon it of abandoning party issues and setting up a wartime non-party National Government. There would still be one group of Ministers planning and directing purely domestic activities irrelevant to the war, and, as we have seen, distracting the attention of the public with highly controversial issues such as those raised by the proposal to coerce the doctors, and another concerned with the prosecution, of the war under the handicap of having its efforts restricted by claims for domestic expenditure. . It is utterly impracticable to carry on an all-in war effoit with these activities in water-tight compartments. They are complementary, for the success of the war effort must be dependent on the extent to which domestic claims are subordinated to it. These, questions can only be decided by a Government functioning as a single unit, animated by a single aim —the whole-hearted prosecution of the war _ and completely independent of normal party policies and programmes. All our internal activities must be directed through channels that will add the results to the national total resources for the war effort, but that can never be possible under a two-cabinet system, even if the party representation in the War Cabinet were larger and equal. The compromise suggested simply begs the question, and would leave the position where it is now.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19410919.2.30

Bibliographic details

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 303, 19 September 1941, Page 6

Word Count
327

TOO CABINETS OR ONE? Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 303, 19 September 1941, Page 6

TOO CABINETS OR ONE? Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 303, 19 September 1941, Page 6