WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 March 1933, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

MINISTER OF FINANCE ON TRIAL

'Spocial Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, Mar c h 7

There was a good dea-1 of- surprise and some misgivings when the Right Hon. J. G. Coates took over the portfolio of Finance and its accompanying responsibilities on th 6 retirement of the Hon. IW. Bownig. Stewart, who had been 1 regarded in many quarters as the only, j reliable financier in the. Coalition CUr j iaet. Mr Ballafice, Mr .Seddon, Si 1 ’ j Joseph Ward, and Mr (Massey each in i turn had laid down th e axiom that the care of the Treasury was thp first responsibility of th c Prim e Minuter, .It is tru e that on the formation of the first Reform Cabinet in 1912 Mr Massey ! entrusted the portfolio of Fiancee to his henchman, Sir Jarnee Allen, and rn the formation of the National Cab-net in 1915 passed it on to Sir jos e ph Ward for the period of the Great War, MR MASSEY’S LEAD. On the con elm ion of the war, thg. dis- ; solution of the National Ministry, and the formation of what many he called the second Reform Cabinet, Mr Afesey , stated t 0 bus 'pirty, as Mr Seddon had stated to his before, that it was j desirable that a prime Minister, save I in exceptional circumstances, should be in charge of the Treasury. As Mr ISeddon twaddled Ihimsejf with the finances of the country on the retirement of Sir Joseph Ward from the Treasury . in 1896, so did Mr Mars'ey saddle h'm- ! self on the retirement of Sir Joseph from the National Ministry in 1919. In this wav Sir Joseph .served two big men, opponents in politics, who both acpre ,, iated the assistance h P wa 8 able ■to afford them in time of national need. SHORT LIVED CABINETS. On the death of Mr (Massey the RigGt | Hon. Sir Fraucjs He* ey Dillon Bell wo® summoned by the Governor-General to form a Cabinet t.o carry on the business of the country. At the °f ten day, 3 Sir Francis had completed .his task, perhaps the quickest achievement of the k'ed, within the Dominion, aha presented his recommendation to the Governor. During those days )he was Prime Minister, . Attorney General, Minister of External Affairs and custodian of an eager body of youth- ted age. The length pf his leadership was not absolutely the .(shortest on record, but it was as short, as ..he ccu ! d.make it by .hjs own efforts. , The fruits of these efforts were his own retirement from -the office .of prime Minister, and Mr Coates,’ .acceptance of thus distinction. AFTER MANY, YEARS. The Right 'Hop, ,J. G. Coates made .Iris wry into the.Bous. e p;f.ißtpre«eßtative s as long ago as December 1911, with the assistance of hiis personal popularity and the operation of a system of election which was even less reliable than is the one in operation at the presrut day. By the time the next election camp round thy Dominion w.'S involved in the Great War and the young man from Kaipara naturally deemed this of more consequence than pny polit' vs Parliament .might propound. Two or three years at the fr.oht , left him with a widened vision of the Em-r-p'e rnd of the world and with a deep. en e d understanding of humanity. Three years- in Cabinet and another three in Opposition have enlarged his perspective and qnickc-ned bis vision. In the circumstances his critics can but wish him well.