LEAVING THE CABINET

Evening Star, Issue 21319, 25 January 1933, Page 2

LEAVING THE CABINET

FDRGED AND VOLUNTARY RETIREMENTS TWO NOTABLE INSTANCES [FIIOM 0 UII I’ A R I.IA .M ENTA R Y EeI’OUTKU.] WELLINGTON, January 25. The resignation of a Minister from the New Zealand Cabinet is a rare occurrence, and one lias to go back to 1911 for a parallel .similar to that of. last week, when a Minister on his own initiative, without pressure from the head of the Government, decided to part from his colleagues. Sir Joseph Ward’s retirement from the National Government was under entirely different circumstances, for the war had ended, ami with it the necessity for party truce. Therefore, on the eve of a General Election tho then Liberal leader enunciated a policy differing materially from that of the Reform loader, and it was duly submitted to the electorate.

But in 1911, not many weeks before a General Election, Sir Joseph : Ward received tho resignation of his Minister of Education, the Hon. (now Sir George) Fowlds. It was a friendly parting, as in the latest instance, but the Minister had material differences with his chief on major policy issues, and determined to make, his position clear to the country in the hope that his views would receive general endorsement. Announcing to the House of Representatives his resignation from the Ward Government, Mr Fowlds expressed his belief that the legislation it had placed on the Statute Book would occupy an honoured place. 11 But the times in which we live demand a new evangel,” he declared—- “ a gospel which 1 felt 1 could not reach as a member of the present Gov* eminent —and so 1 have decided lor freedom in order that I might express my whole soul to the people of New Zealand. Everywhere throughout the civilised world wo see a spirit of unrest amongst tho mass of the people—an unrest, lot me say*, which is justified by tho social conditions in which tho mass of the people live—an unrest which will not -he quieted until a condition of social justice lias been established,” Mr Fowlds was later asked to define his new evangel. He-did so very effectively on tho platform, and the following brief summary in his own words docs not do full justice to the enthusiasm and point of his advocacy. However, lie briefly explained to an interviewer: “ 1 consider one of the most urgent things to be done is to make a serious effort to reduce the cost of living, and in my judgment this can best be done by increasing the taxation on land values and using tho proceeds of tho tax, first to abolish duties on the necessaries of life, and secondly to reduce railway freights in order to bring tho primary produce of tho country to the consumer more cheaply.” Mr Fowlds strongly expressed himself in favour of proportional representation, as tho means of voting which would ultimately end many of the evils from which, in his opinion, the country was suffering. The resignation occurred in October, 1911, and on December 15 Mr Fowlds, who bad contested his old seat; Grey Lynn, as an Independent Liberal, obtained a majority over two opponents in the first ballot, but was defeated by Mr John Payne (Labour), the author of the celebrated “ Scheme 45.” by a very narrow majority. Tho cx-Minister did" not further concern himself with parliamentary ambition, but ho has never censed to render public service, which has boon recognised by a title. * ASKED TO RESIGN. It was the “ painful and imperative duly ” of Sir Joseph Ward in June, 1909, to request the resignation of the Hon. A; W. Hogg, Minister of Labour and Customs and Minister in Charge of Roads and Bridges. This was the sequel to Mr Hogg’s strong advocacy of paper currency issued by the State, instead of leaving to tho hanks tho whole control of currency. From tho back honchos this would have been regarded as an interesting pieco of theory, but coming from the Ministerial benches at a time when the Opposition was making an effective point of the Government pledging tho credit of the State to what was considered a dangerous degree, it could not be overlooked by the Prime Minister. So his retirement was requested, Sir Joseph explaining that it was based “ firstly, on tho ground that the views expressed by him wore radically inconsistent with the policy of tho Government, arul, ! secondly, upon the ground that, being held by a responsible Minister of tho Crown, they could seriously embarrass, if not imperil, the future financial position and operations of New Zealand, not so much perhaps in this country itself as in Great Britain.”

So much for the specific differences between Prime Minister and a member of his Cabinet. Mr Hogg’s- offending speech, delivered in a nigged Scottish accent, was phrased in the nigged and. robust stylo common to public discussions of those days, , Parliamentary phraseology has toned off considerably in modern times, possibly because the points of difference have not been so vivEL It requires the outstanding importance of such an issue as freehold versus leasehold to provoke the language used by Mr Hogg in tho speech which pushed hi in out of the Ward .Ministry. As a sample, take his reference to largo landowners;

“ We have a class of men in New Zealand —wealthy men drawing plenty of capital from various sources, realising fat dividends from this country—and they execrate the Government and the people because they keep such a Government in power. The men to whom 1 refer—l hope they are not too numerous—are drunken and besotted with greed. Greed follows them as Mcphistophclcs followed Faust. Greed follows them, and will continue to follow them until they reach their final doom, perhaps near Ruapehu.”