The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1919.

Gisborne Times, Volume L, Issue 5138, 2 April 1919, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1919.

j The National Cabinet shows signs of i awakening to the fact that the electors are far from j satisfied with the j present political situation. It seems I that at least one or two Ministers ; are now prepared to admit that it is time that something was done in the 1 matter. As far as can be made out j it has been a great strain on some ■ members of Cabinet, especially those who are noted for much talking, to have had to remain tongue-tied during the lengthy absence of the party leaders from the Dominion. At any rate one Minister has broken out in j a series of apologies, explanations, j and prophecies. This is the Hon. G. i W. Russell who, speaking in Christchurch recently, told a- deputation that lie had grave misgivings as to the future and he could not help > speaking from his heart to them on J the subject. He felt that now was 1 the time when the country ought to j be using every effort for the purpose of assisting development in view l of j the tremendous i obligations that had j been undertaken. But what could j be done seeing that Mr. Massey and | Sir Joseph Ward were still away? “Our hands are tied, our feet are tied, our tongues are tied, and wo dare not with consciousness of loyalty to our leaders say what we think should be done,” was how Mr. Russell described the pitiful plight of himiseflf" anjjfc his.cproradof. in the CabiRus. ‘iha\ wjjijfslr . present Government ijjas established to assist in war, it could notfer- V ed that after the ceslfct* tiesythero shoulti. be S|f ip l fijaining progdfeals '

'■Not a Happy Family,”

pected big post-war problems. Mr. Russell frankly confessed that the domestic interests of the Dominion have been sadly neglected but naturally he does not wish to blame anyone for what is past. It is the position as it presents itself to-day that is worrying the Minister for Public • Health. Ho says further that the | National Government must find itself J greatly handicapped owing to the i fact that no sooner will the Dominion j leaders have returned than the coun- J try will be faced with a ,general elec- j tion. Mr. Russell is to be complimented on this occasion on his outspokenness and it comes as no surprise that his comments have attracted much attention, even that or some of his fellow Cabinet Ministers, j As Acting-Leader of the Liberal j party it has fallen to the unhappy lot of the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald to attempt the impossible, viz., to make out that Mr. Russell has been guilty of a political crime in discuss- j ing a matter which Cabinet would, j doubtless, prefer should remain undiscussed. Mr. Russell (he says) is merely giving expressions to his own ! opinions generally. Then Mr. Mac- ! Donald goes on very lamely to ex--1 plain that it must be conceded that it is not fair on Mr. Russell’s part to suggest that Mr. Massey and >Sir Joseph Ward have neglected _ domestic legislation altogether during the war period. Mr. MacDonald very

truly, however, says that there was a j party agreement that during the , term of the National Ministry no domestic legislation of a contentious nature should he introduced. But, he does not go far enough. He does I not show that it was impossible on j the part of th» National Ministry to ' frame some more domestic legislation j upon which both sides could be t agreed. Nor does he explain that - when the party truce was arranged * it was not known that during the period of the National Ministry the | Dominion leaders would require to | go Home on three different occasions, j The position to-day is clearly that j e both Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph j ;- Ward are quite out of touch with j - political opinion in this Dominion. I j As the Hon. T. M. Wilford remark-| ed the other day the whole political j situation is obscure, and it would j take the Dominion leaders some time I r on their return to ascertain just j S where they stand! What is most j * interesting in < connection with the; latest Ministerial disclosures is that Mr. MacDonald has publicly acknow- " ledged that there is now a new party in the political arena of this Dominion. He says that he has seen the 11 names of many of the members of j the new Progressive party, but his j y comment on the subject is not ccn- J e vincing for he adds: “I am of the e opinion that it is not the future wel- i r fare of the country that is causing j a i these gentlemen great anxiety at the j !. moment but rather their own politi-1 cal welfare!” Nobody, we should] say, need he surprised to learn that j the disruption amongst the rank and j file is due solely to the want of ini- j tiative that has been displayed by j those whom Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward left in charge during! their present prolonged absence from j the Dominion.