A GALLERY

Evening Star, Issue 20256, 17 August 1929, Page 3

A GALLERY

[Written by Alan Dalk for the ‘ Evening Star.’] : 12-THE HON. J. B. DONALD Probably'the least known man in the Cabinet is the lion. J. B. Donald. Ho is the owner of a very large business, his personal possessions are reputed to run a long way past the six-figure mark, hut ho remains "-one of those remote figures apart from ordinary life—photographed, referred to at odd moments, but essentially unknown.

I At first glance the Hon. the Minister sec ins curiously young. He is one of those men who look more youthful in formal dress, and who, no matter how they may endeavour to hedge themselves with dignity, remain simple, kindly, and apparently of tender years. 1 That boyish face, slight figure, and uu- , ruffled brow contribute to a"personality 1 which-is rather what one imagines must have been the appearance of Gilbert’s ■Strephon when he abandoned the fairy fields and entered Parliament at the ! behest of the Fairy*Queen. Poise, as- ! surance, an untroubled mind—these 1 are the first qualities of Mr Donald. 1 Removed from the ruffled waters of 1 departments which offer problems of : administration and control, the Post-master-General moves in a well-ordered . world. The Post and Telegraph Department. priding itself upon its, efficiency, its innumerable cogs turning with an oiled ease, gives him few perplexing questions with which to grapple. The furrows upon that broad, smooth brow wilt not conic yet.

Mr Donald is dapper. His every movement is quick and neat; his speech, articulation, and gesture are those ql a gentleman among gentlemen. His voice is not one to ring with passion or plead. He is the complete business man in politics, using smooth, hallowed phrases to express his meaning, flowing easily on from point to point, reasonable always—but firm. For. Mr Donald also has principles. He has examined the world and found it good, but ho has also examined his attitude towards almost everything conceivable, 1 and knows what path to follow. Like Id’s appearance, his mind is ordered, tidy; a row of pigeon-holes from which with an effortlessness which savours of magic there can be produced at a mo ment’s notice facts,, arguments, rea- , sons for everything he may have said jor done. Ho lives in a tidy' universe, n universe in which overlapping and wasteful effort are unknown.

and ail the great issues of the day have received the attention of a well-informed executive which has decided the final word on qur policy at the moment. It may be with regret that he reaches these conclusions, but that regret is something that must be borne. Essentially Mr Donald is a philosopher.

But it would not be fair to say that Mr Donald is not more. He has tolor mice and humanity, and his actions are governed by a scrupulous conscience. Tie may be precise-minded and some, tiling conservative in his judgment, but if ho over does the wrong thing it will be from the highest possible motives. He may seem to some people extremely reliant upon his departmental officers, but bis judgment .tolls him when to trust them implicitly and when it is wise to move alone. There are no great demands on the Postmaster-Gen-eral, but there, is the rcmiiroment of patience, assiduity, and care. All those Mr Donald • possesses in a marked degree. - 13.—THE HON. W. B. TAVERNER Mr W. li. Taverner as a Minister of Railways carries the heaviest charge of any ot the four brand-new members who became Ministers of the Crown in their first session. It is littuag that this great department, burdened with tlso blunders of the past and menaced by the developments of the present, should fall to the lot of the man who is confessed to bo the canniest and most versatile of the United Party recruits.

Mr Taverner is in the parliamentary tradition, soleiim in manner, serious in debatp. Ho 'is not a fluent speaker. His words sometimes icem a trillo tangled, but he knows just where ho is leading, and he reaches his goal regardless of obstacles. Winged wit and parliamentary badinage are not for him; his way with iutcrjectors is a short way. but sure. He avoids argument, brushes interruptions aside. One has the impression that he is determined to allow nothing to interrupt the march of his speech to that destined end—and also, perhaps, that the sooner it reaches that hallowed haven the sooner there will be satisfaction in the heart of the Him. the Minister of Railways. Mr Taverner, obviously, is not one of those who delight Lp words. IPs speeches in the House will he infrequent, but they will have some '.gn:li cance. He will not talk for the sake of talking—he is no chatterbox—and only dire necessity will drive him to wrestle with language for long periods of time. Thus his speech in the Address-in-Reply was one of the most serious contributions to the debate, but it was also a speech full of matter. Its survey 7 was comprehensive ana thorough. But one must confess that it was easier to road, than to hear.

Tho Minister, then, is one of those who believe that deeds,, should come first. “Short is the time for acting,” said the messenger of warning to lying Hakon, and Jrorn Mr Taverner’s bowed head, his pursed lips, and knit brow one might imagine that he was incessantly occupied with problems of State. He is a striking contrast to the boyish Postmaster-General whose seat adjoins his But Mr Taverner has his moment? of lightness and grace, though the Ministerial responsibility has never sat lightly upon him./' It is, of course, a trying ordeal for any member to make a debut in a House of men seasoned, in debate and with an immense and varied I knowledge of fact. How much greater j is that trial when one appeal’s charged j with a large department, and challenged by opponents owning years of experience in the same field. That first ordeal Mr Ta/snier survived well. Under his care the department, possessed of a new manager, grows daily more business-like in its methods, more rapid in its moves to catch traffic from the road. 'For Mr Taverner, like many of his colleagues, is a man experienced in tho ways of business. He is yet raw to the position that last Noy.'inber’s fight left vacant for him. He has a responsibility beyond that of othej men; ho is the visible head of a State concern which yearly is menaced mo”e and more 1 His problem is one that grows world-wide It is too much to ask him that he solve it, but there- will be demanded the best that he nns to give. And such is the conscience of the man, his appreciation of his department's worth, and his personal con--1 oern for Thoroughness and order that it may he said without pause that, he will render to the country all That ho has,- and. then will seek to snvo ,n;cre