Evening post WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1912. THE NEW CABINET

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 9, 10 July 1912, Page 6

Evening post WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1912. THE NEW CABINET

Mr. Massey has not taken quite bo much time for the formation of a Ministry as was needed by his friends on the other side. The question of leadership, which was the chief bone of contention for the angry disputants at the Liberal caucus,, fortunately presented no difficulty to Mr. Massey's Party. He led them when to be Leader of the Opposition was to have charge of the forlornest of forlorn hopes, and now that fortune has changed nobody disputes his right to retain a position to which he made good his, fcitlt during to many year* of adversity. The Party will, therefore, suffer no heartburnings regarding the position which, on. the retiring Premier's recommendation, His Excellency haa called upon Mr. Alaasey to fill. With the Premiership Mr. Maasey, as was expected, takes the portfolio of Lands and also Labour. As Minister of Lands it is impossible to deny that he has established his claim by years of stubborn fighting, which began long before freehold was the popular thing in the House that it is now; and, though we should have been glad to tee tome less ardent champion of reaction in the position, we are bound to recogniee that the one 01 two members of the Party whose view* on the land question are in accordance with our own are very far from being representative of the Party. Along with Mr. Massey there are several men whose inclusion in the Reform Cabinet was never doubted. The leader's lieutenant during all these weary years of uphill fighting has been Mr. James Allen, and it is only natural that Mr. Allen should retain a prominent position now that it will mean something more than hard labour and hard knocks. A« finance has always been Mr. Allen'e strong suit, he receive*, as Minister of Finance, a, congenial sphere for hie talent*. But Defence hae found in the member for Bruce an equally powerful champion. He has long been recognised as an expert and an enthusiast on this subject, and everybody knows .that it wa* be who saved the Defence Bill of 1910, ait a, time when Sir Joseph Ward \ was baffled by defections, and Mr. Ma»«ey himself sounded none too clear a note. The country is lucky indeed in having in Mr. Allen a successor to bo excellent a Minister of Defence aa Mr. Myers proved himself to be. With Education in addition to Finance and Defence, Mr. Allen will have his hands full. In the Department of Finance the Reform Party must be conceded to be exceptionally strong, for, in addition to Mr. Allen, there are Mr. Fraser and Mr. ETerriea, not to mention Mr. Mas&ey himself, who possess an exceptional familiarity with the subject. Mr. Fraser would have made a good Minister of Finance if Defence ' and other important departments had not been considered to have superior claims. on Mr. Allen. Mr. Fraeer is certainly a less strenuous- debater than. Mr. Allen, but h. is by no means unpersuasive, and he carries that weight which is acquired in any assembly by the man who only ipeaks of what he knows, and then speaks from obvious conviction. A laborious department in which 1 Mr. Fraser may be expected to show to advantage will be that of Public Works, and he will also hay© charge of> the Mines Department. Mr. Herries takes up the important portfolios of Railways and Native Affairs. He is one of the ablest and readiest of debaters in the Party which has spent more than twenty consecutive years in Opposition. An excellent all-round man, Mr. Herries hae devoted special attention to railways and Native affairs, and his talent should find sjaop. in these two departments. Mr. Herdman's inclusion in th© Cabinet was generally regarded as a certainty. Though his Parliamentary experience does not equal that of Mr. Allen, Mr. Fraser, or Mr. Herries, Mr. Herdman's talent in debate and' on the platform has made him indispensable. As a lawyer, the portfolios of Justice and AttorneyGeneral will suit him. With regard to one phase of the' general policy we welcome Mr. Herdman's elevation as a.guarantee that the- great, question of Civil Service reform, which he has assiduously pioneered in the House in face of party difficulties, will now receive effective attention. Mr. Massey has also been fortunate in securing the services of Mr. H. D. Bell, K.C., who will take the portfolio of Minister of. Internal Affairs and Leader of the Upper House. Mr. Bell, who once held a seat in the House of Representatives, and' retired unbeaten, should certainly prove a useful man to the Reform Party. It is remarkable that of the nine appointments announced to-day, six are from the North Island and three from the South. It was only natural— for geography cannot be entirely ignored in these matters, whatever critics may say^that the claim of Mr. R. H. Rhodes as a Canterbury man should be considered a strong one, though he is not intuinsically a strong man. As Postmaster-General he will have charge of a Department which lias been progressively administered' in the past. Mr. Rhodes will be the representative of a district which, had no less than four Ministers in the late Cabinet. The allotment of a portfolio to Mr. Fisher will come as a surprise to many people. The member for Wellington Central has undoubted platform abilities, and he has lately rendered good service to the Party in that direction. For a young man he has been given an exceptional opportunity to test his strength as an administrator. It is interesting to note that Mr. Fisher will occupy a similar position to that filled by his late father. For the repm»ntatioa of the Native race Dr. Pomare was in the fortunate position of being without a competitor. In making his selection- it is quite clear that Mr. Massey lias had at his disposal some excellent material, and that the inevitable groc««j o{ rejection, «ad dia*]?jiain.tgttgnfc. J

i« not likely to seriously affect the solidarity of his party. Some of the older members, Mr. Ma*sey Btabes, told him that -they appreciated his difficulties and that they preferred to be left out. His task was, a* a result, made somewhat easier. .