MR. FORGAN SMITH

Grey River Argus, 30 May 1938, Page 4

MR. FORGAN SMITH

For Canberra AN UNDERSTUDY NOW IN TRAINING. BRISBANE, May 23. i Australia may hear the Scotch burr of Mr. Forgan Smith resounding in Federal political halls within the next year or two. His relinquishment of the Treasurership, which he had held since he first gained power in 1932, has deep significance. It is not explained away by his expressed desire to be relieved of the double duties of Premier and Treasurer. Mr F. A. Cooper, who is now Treasurer, was Minister .or Public Instruction. Precise in diction, and an amateur actor, Mr Cooper, after he became Assistant Treasurer some time ago, had the courage to appear in a repertory show as Shylock. There was no other reason to take him from his schools, titan this- • Forgan Smith has no understudy on the financial side. Not one of his Ministers has more than a smattering on monetary policy. So Mr Cooper has been named as the man who is to be trained in Treasury ways. He accompanied his chief to the Loan Council meeting in Melbourne recently. The move is obvious. Soon, Mr Forgan Smith will be free to accept any call to national leadership in the Labour Party. His third smashing election success should give him some claim to that place if Federal Labour should be looking to the States to supply a new leader. When that time comes, Mr Smith will make his way to Canberra through one of the Queensland electorates. The new Queensland leader would be not the present deputy-leader (Mr Peace), but Mr Hynes, Minister for .Labour and Industry.