NEW MINISTRY

Grey River Argus, 15 March 1940, Page 7

NEW MINISTRY

FOR COMMONWEALTH Personnel Announced [Aust. & N.Z. c ble Assn.) (Received March 14, 11 p.m.) CANBERRA, March 14. The Prime Minister, Hon. R. G. Menzies, announced to-day the reconstructed Commonwealth Ministry. Henceforth it is to be known as the Coalition Ministry. It is as follows: — Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, of Co-ordination and of Information—Pion. R. G. Menzes. Minister of Commerce, and of the Navy.—Hon. A. G. Cameron (Leader of the Country Par.ty). Atorney-General and Miriister pf Industry.—Hon. W. M. Hughes. Minister for the Army and for Repatriation.—Hon. G. A. Street. Vice-President of the Executive Council.—Sir Henry Gullett. Minister of Supply, Development, and Social Services. —Sir Frederick Stewart. Postmaster-General and Minister of Health.—Hon. H. V. Thorby. Federal Treasurer. —Hon. F. C. Spender. Minister of Trade and Customs. — Senator George McCleay. Minister of External Affairs.—Hon. J. McEwan. Minister lof the Interior. —Senator H. S. Foil. Minister of Air and Civil Aviation. -—Hon. J. V. Fairbairn. Minister without Portfolio.—Senator P. Mcßride. Minister without Portfolio.—Senator H. Collett. Minister without Portfolio.—Hon. A. Fadden.

Minister without Portfolio.—Hon. H. Nock. HON. W. M. HUGHES. (Received March 15, 12.40 a.m.) CANBERRA, March 14. In the reconstituted Ministry, Mr. W. M. Hughes remains’in control of the Department of Industry, but only for the duration of the present coal strike. When the strike ends, the post goes to the Hon. Mr. McEwan. Trouble in Cabinet OPPOSITION LEADER’S EXPECTATION. (Received March 15, 12.4 a.m.) PERTH, March 14. The leader of the Federal Opposition, Mr J. Curtin, commenting on the Coalition Ministry, remarked: We now have an amazing fusion of incompatiixles. The Country Party, which formerly was supine in Parliament, now, in the Cabinet, will be a source of constant irritations. MR. MENZIES’S FUTURE. SYDNEY, March 6. The defeat of the Government cani didate in the Corio by-election last ( Saturday has set political Australia by the ears. Although not unexpected, the return of the Labour candidate, with a swing of more, than 10,000 votes, was a severe blow to the personal prestige of the Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies and to the power of his Government. The by-election left Australia politically confused. Did the 54,000 electors of Corio express national feeling or were a majority swayed by issues affecting them intimately into an anti-Government vote? The perplexed nation can find no clear answer, and so it appears that the General Election later in the year must supply it. The result of the Corio by-election may alter the whole course of Australian politics in the near future. Those close to Mr. Menzies admit that he has been seriously disturbed. Mr. Menzies made the by-election a test of the people’s opinion on the Government’s war programme, and, in the opinion of many political observers, staked his political future on the result. These observers now contend that as the verdict was adverse, he is in an embarrassing position, and that apart from reviewing the future of his Ministry, he must also review his own position. The politically astute Country Party has seized the opportunity of the Ministry’s Corio-caused embarrassment to try to force itself again into a Coalition Government on its own terms, as it was before the death of Mr. Lyons. Mr. Menzies hitherto has objected to Country Party cooperation except on his terms. The Country Party, at a meeting in Sydney this week, empowered Mr. Cameron to negotiate with Mr. Menzies on a certain declared basis. This basis voiced platitudes about the “successful prosecution of the war,” and co-operation with Britain, but betrayed the old Country Party desire to share the reins of Government because of sectional, and not truly national, interests. Thus,, the party’s manifesto declares: “The Australian Country Party’s responsibility is to see that the terms of sale of our huge exportable surplus of primary products are fair to all concerned that defects and anomalies which have shown themselves in connection with this, are promptly remedied and that the wartime establishment of additional secondary industries is brought about on sound economic lines.”