COMPLETING THE CABINET.

Evening Star, Issue 7339, 11 October 1887, Page 2

COMPLETING THE CABINET.

|Fbom Ocb Pabliahkntaby Reporter,J WELLINGTON, Ootobeb 10. Very great uncertainty prevailed to-day respecting the allotment of the remaining portfolios. It appeared exceedingly doubtful at one time whether Mr Mitchelson would take the portfolio of Public Works, and his acceptance of it eventually is under' stood to be on the understanding that he is at liberty to retire at the end of the session, or, indeed, at any time he chooses. An opinion prevails in some quarters that if he should retire from office at the close of the session, the portfolio will be given to Mr Fergus, who has a strong inclination for it; and that Mr J. B. Whyte, of Waikato, will be taken into the Cabinet as Minister of Mines. There was also much uncertainty respecting the intentions of the Hon. E. J. C. Stevens, to whom the Colo* nial Secretaryship was offered. He had only arrived from England yesterday in the Rimutaka, and some correspondence by wire with Christchurch was necessary before he could give. a definite answer. It was not not until this evening that he absolutely decl:.ned the position assigned to him, bat the party appear to be greatly pleased that he has accepted a seat in the Cabinet without portfolio. It was at first intended not to appoint an Attorney-General, but Mr Stevens having declined the other portfolio Sir Frederick Whitaker was induced to accept this one. The latter gentleman is also looked upon as a source of strength to the new Government. The. Colonial Secretaryship has still to be provided for, and Native affair j will be tacked on to one of the other departments. The feeling seems to be Increasing that the Native Department will be done away with, and decision not to appoint a Native Minister is looked upon as a first step towards that. It is impossible to say much about the re--1 arrangement of portfolios after the session, 1 and Ministers appear to know very little themselves beyond the fact that Major » Atkinson will eventually transfer the Trea- ■ surership to Mr Fisher, and will most likely ' take over the Education Department him* 1 self, or give it to Mr Hislop. ( Propeets of the Ministry. ( There is a good deal of speculation concerning the probable fate of the new ; Ministry; but it would be absurd to attempt to say at the present moment whether or not they will survive the Their opponents freely express the opinion that they will not live a week beyond the delivery of the Financial Statement; but the wish in this case certainly appears to bear a very close relationship to tbe thought. 1 might even say everything , depends upon the Financial Statement, which is expected to disclose a very sweeping ' and extensive system of retrenchment. , From what I can learn, pet votes will be sacrificed in til directions, and the toes of very many members will be trodden upon. Whether they will permit the retrenchment , to. be brought home to their particular districts, is a moot question ; but the cry for retrenchment amongst candidates for the House has been so loud that, however bitter the pill, they can scarcely refuse to swallow it. The general opinion is that if the business of this session, is confined to retrenchment, the Government will get throngh safely into, the recess, t Support in this particular direotion may bo. e looked for from former Government soni, porters who were not invited to attend the j late Opposition caucus. I might mention as an instance Mr Cadman, who was a Govern* 7 ment supporter last session, but he con- ' eiders that his party has been broken no, 1 aqd that there are. no party ties, binding j him. He is prepared to support the new Government in carrying out a fair scheme oi retrenchment, or he will give them a general ' support if their policy meets with his approval. It is considered by politicians on both sides that if the new Government attempt this session to deal with other questions of policy than retrenchment they will undertake too much, and render their own ' position a dangerous one. The question of I protection to industries, for instance, ifould be an awkward one to deal with, for the 1 obvious reason that quite a number of the > party are determined Freetraders, who declare that they will resist any attempt to increase taxation through the Customs. Other supporters, who are Protectionists, say, on the other hand, that they have been given to understand that something will be done this session to afford increased protection to industries (such as fhe iron trade) which are in a very bad way. It is difficult indeed in the present position of the party to see how this could be The opponents of the Government sajr that the hostility of the disappointed aspirants to, office niusti be reckoned on; and whi'e. there is a grest deal of truth in the remark, such hostility is not likejy to, betray itself this session. All thjngs cog? sidered, I incline to the opinion that unless unforeseen difficulties arise, the Government will survive the session ; but they will find that they have a very difficult task before them. Preparing his Policy, There fa, now every probability of a period of three weeks of enforced idleness before members. Practically, nothing will he done this week beyond the delivery of the Governpr's Speeph \ and it is almost certain that Major Atkinson will ask for the two following weeks in which to formulate and matupe the financial polioy of the Government. Some opposition has been made to such a leng delay in getting to work, but the feeling of the majority is that whatever time is asked for should be granted, bo that the Government may not be unduly hurried in the preparation of their polioy. Two feelings exist on both sides of the House. An idea appears to prevail amongst the Government supporters that if the House sat daily until the Financial Statement came down the Opposition would embarrass the party with resolutions on questions of policy, affirming, for instance, the desirability of affording protection to industries, Wbe Mining Industry. Since the Storft-Vogel Goveenbient toot office they, have : established, no fewer than twenty-four schools of mines in. the Colony, of which nineteen are in the Sooth Island. The importance of the mining industry is shown by the fact that up till the end of last year the productions from thissourog were (represented in round numbers) a value of fifty millions of money. Last year's productions were worth about a million and a-half, made up as follows:—Gold, L 922.600: silver, L 2,946; copper ore, L 39 9; antimony ore, manganese 0re;.L1,316; mixed minerals, L 1.84 6', kauri gum, L 257.653; coal exported; j ooal consumed within the Colony, " * ■" * 'the 'Electoral Ro^s. Representations have been made to the retiring Colonial Secretary respecting the inannerin which' the businesjs of the JUgisjirar'g offlce in Auckland was carried on. \\ is alleged that no, hook was Kept fox the' purpose of entering the claims to vote that were received, and that there was so little check that any one of the clerks might have destroyed bundles of these forms, had he chosen, without anyone knowing that they had disappeared. It is also said that twenty-five claims to vote for Auckland North, including that of Rev. W. WaWen, were'pnt in by Mr C.' W. WTrigWi and neve* heard of again. 'The ffon.' "Mr Buckley (thelate Colonial Secretary) informs me that Auckland was hot exceptional: that he haoj complaints, from nearly every djstript 'in the. Colony"; and that soine in tfte electoral laws is necessary, and would have been, made by his Government if they had remained in office. The New Cabinet, . Commenting on the choice qf colleagues made'by the-P-remity- in the formattoSol his Cabinet, the 'Evening Press' to-night eays,—"Major Atkinson has ta£en advant tage af the unfettered discretion allowed him by those who have ohosen hlra far their Leader to try the boldest experiment in cabinet-making that baa ever been ventured upon in this country. That he has placed a severe strain on the loyalty of his party cannot be denied. It is a strain which only a very good party could bear; but we are confident that they will bear it, gnd bear \t nobby. They were not trifling with their Leader or themselves when thew him'to ; f6rm r t| carry" put' a 'policy' of . HtWiPtoffM*; ■ |"j stood to'reasdn that undertaking snoh .* task he was to ohoose his colleagues where he would with a view to executing his own plans, for compassing the end set before him. He has chosen them to suit himself, and not to suit .anybody else, and his choice must be loyally adopted. That there are disappointments, heart-burnincs, pnd 'difference* 6i ppinjon as to whe«xer,sw man should have been taken or that tnas left out goes without saying. The party do not pretend to be superior to human nature; but while they may be dissatisfied individually with individual appointments at the first blush of the thing, they, are staunch as a party to the Government whioh their chief has formed. They realise;

his difficulties, n,nd they assume hia best motives, and it will not be their fault if he ever has to regret the course he has taken.''