Peeps at Parliament

Free Lance, Volume XV, Issue 789, 13 August 1915, Page 5

Peeps at Parliament

The National Ministry.

A FORTNIGHT'S adjournment is little enough for the National Cabinet , to settle down, and thirteen Ministers require a lob of accommodation. It will be hard to find "holes ' enough for all, even in such a large and scattered rabbit warren as the temporary House plus what has been saved from the big fire. One sees pleasing sights in the half-deserted lobbies. Macdonald and Herries, who hold contrary opinions on Native land administration,, are brothers in arms now, quilte content to trust each other—"Mac," the quietspoken Gisbornite with Agriculture, and the srenial Herries with. _ the Railways' and Native Land portfolios.

The Whips on both sides have fraternised with unexampled cordiality, audi Mr. Craigie wandered the other day •with an Opposition pressman into the inner sanctum of Reform, the Government Whip's room, where comfortable fireside, places were found, and the.magical operation of pressing the button for the appearance of the Bellamy genie •was promptly performed.

The cynical people who say politics is nothing but place-hunting ought to no. let; into a few of the leaders secrete in connection wiitlh Cabinet-making, lhey would then realise that politician© can play the game as well as the_ best club critic. It is well understood in- the lobbies that Mr. Herries wrote out his resignation quite early in the negotiations, so as to give his leader what he would call, in his familiar vocabulary, "A clear run down the straight. Jsir Francis Bell also shone as a real sportsman in the affair, and Mr Heaton Rhodes quietly effaced himself without heroics or even a private complaint, though his soldier's heart was very much in his newly acquired responsibility of looking after the health of the men in training. „ „

It was in -February, 1912, that Sir Joseph Ward, in a memorable speech m the House of Representatives, announced his retirement from the Ministry. He got back into office on the ninth anniversarv of his first assumption of the Premiership, which was on August btn, 1906. It will be news' to even some or his associates to know that never in ins long public career has the Opposition leader suffered defeat at the electors hands. He commenced asking tor votes in 1878 as a youthful aspirant for membership of the Bluff Harbour Board, and ever since he has won his elections, though always with a bugger margin than on that occasion, when His majority was precisely one! An old railwayman tellfe a "good one" against Sir Joseph, whose work was as a cadet in the Telegraph Department. The time came when Sir Joe was the Minister of Railways, but floods are no respecter of persons, and.- tne Ministerial head of the concern found, himself stuck un in a train at Warpaiii, through a wash-out. The only telegraphist at the little station was worried and overworked, what with the block ing of the traffic, the. breakdown arrangements, the confusion, and—last straw! —the presence of the Minister or Railways. _ ■ . Sir Joseph gauged the position nicely. The man's superiors at Dunedm were worrying him for "details, while he was trying to deal with the numerous practical things crying out attention. So the Minister revived his rusty knowledge of telegraphy , and assisted the overworked operator in his duty. He did. fairlv well, and stuck to the Morse keyboard' till things were on the line. But the receiving operator at the other end was restless and dissatisfied wrtn

FROM THE PRESS GALLERY.

the "chump" who was sending so slowly at Waipahi. He tapped out something to thalt effect, so the "chump" put on this as a final message to the horrified grumbler: "Sorry you are not pleased with my work on the wire; did my best; long out of practice.—J. G. Ward."

The Prime Minister has r>icked on just the right man in the Hon. Arthur Myers for the new portfolio of Munitions and Supplies. Accustomed to big business affairs, Mr. Myers has the organising genius well developed, and he has proved' it in public affaix-s. Auckland was a backward place municipally until the public cried out against the multiplicity of tin-pot local bodies which seemed to do nothing but get in each, other's way. Roads went from bad to worse, and the drainage problem became acute, yet the tiny local authorities put off big things because a solution was beyond their resources or their imagination.

Then Mayor Myers got into office on a Greater Auckland platform, carefully collected all the statistics to show Little Pedlington- to a decimal point how it would stand to lose or gain by amalgamation with the city, and, although the local councillors produced adverse reasons quite satisfactory to themselves, the broad facts were evident,, and the big movement went on. A Drainage Board was formed to tackle that problem, and some of the adjacent boroughs have come into the Greater Auckland scheme, thanks to the sound foundations laid by the man who will now devote his talents to organising New Zealand industry and l New Zealand man-power to helo win the war. Though it was an eleventh hour appointment, the inclusion of Dr. McNab is one of the most popular decisions of the Cabinet-makers. He was busy in Southland on a recruiting mission, and ha.d told his' political chief before leaving Wellington to leave him out of calculations, as he thought he could do •better work "for" the country "in" the country. His idea was to hold recruiting meetings in remote centres, take a medical man with him, and decide _on the spot, without the usual disappointing delays, whether or not the willing men who came forward! could- be accepted as physically fit for the King's service. He was too useful, however, to be overlooked when the decision was made to extend the Cabinet by an extra man on. both sides. _ He has a couple of portfolios which will _ not interfere seriously with his enthusiastic recruiting schemes, and his ripe scholarly judgment will be of great value in the bis multitude of counsellors now at Mr. Massey's elbow.

If MeNa-b had started by studying; demagogic arts, he would never have got out of Parliament, bulb with his "student's stoop" and_ shy manner he never managed to win wide appreciation, "though the people who know him are always enthusiastic over his fine blend of common-sense and. learning. Always a serious speaker, he was. in his former Ministerial davs, easily put off the track by an interrupter. Once, during Ms memorable Land. Bill campaign, he was being entertained ait a little "spread'' bv a number of Raglan settlers, to whom he repeated his confident declaration that the Ward Government would go on with the Bill. He knew that some of his listeners would not like this, but it was characteristic of McNab that he should tell the whole truth, and he went on to sav: "We know the responsibility; if we fail we shall go down."

"Hear, hear!" exclaimed an old wayback in so earnest a tone that it sounded like a fervent "Amen."

The Minister of Lands stopned short, his hearers could not helt> smiling at his complete set-hack, and he confessed to himself. "Now what was I saying?" he asked after a pause for hard-thinking. "I forget, so I'll have to take tip my point aeain." Which he did, hut the "Amen" declaration was not forthcoming next time, as the author had been as much startled as his victim over the result.

_ Another new Minister from the Opposition is W. D. S. MaeDonald, of Bay of Plenty. Because he is not very trashful —except in getting what his constituents 1 want—some town critics perhaps wonder why he was always considered "in the running." The neople who did all the speculating for the newspapers reerard?n*r the new Cabinet never emitted MacDonaid's name; in fadt. it was counted with the big portfolio of Public "Works until the extension of numbers enabled the Prime Minister to retain the Hon. Wm. ITraser without resorting to the expedient of an Upper House nomination. "Mac," as he is familiarTv called, mannered a bis? slice of the Bank, of New Zealand Assets . Board's estates, in the Bay of Plenty, and is

known to the business community as a sound man on all that pertains ,to the land. He has "broken in" more acres of bush country than he could count in an hour.

His Ministerial work tinder "Tam" Mackenzie shi wed w'hat lie could do with the Publ c Works 'epartmentt, and it also gave him an u :que Ministerial adventure. A. Public Works Minister has to know the coun' y around which he splashes millions of money, so MacDonald, in di ty houni explored a remote part of the We; . Coast in the vicinity of Raglan dur ig his Ibrief term of office. On his way the Ministerial cavalcade encountered a solitary horseman, who said he constituted a "deputation'' of Crown tenants, seven mites in from the main road. They had been promised access by the Lands Department for several years, but still had to pack their provisions to their whares. But the worst grievance was the Government's failure to bridge a dangerous creek. The horseman led the way to this crossing, and halted in the track of the Ministerial bugerv, so that it stood in mid-stream. Here the Minister prepared to listen to the deputation. The secretary nulled out a large "Hansard" note-book, so that he could note verbatim the words which were about to fall from the mounted settler, who took off his hat as a respectful l preliminary-

"Honourable Minister," lie began, evidently repeating a well _ rehearsed speech. But at this point his wits deserted him, the recollection of several years' woes became acute, and he burst out with real bushman's fluency: "By God! This is a b Government!"

Invercargill- must feel flattered over its double representation in the National Cabinet. The quid nuncs of the lobbies thought Awarua's member enough, but when the numbers went up Hanan was among the "placed" ones also, and he will have the task of administering our education system, which now costs over a million a year. The subject has been a favourite one with the new Minister, who had a similar post in the Mackenzie team. The Hon. James Allen's Education Act of last session, recast our whole education system on the administrative side.

Mr. Hanan finds a Council of Education in existence to help him, but he wants all his wits to deal with the Donnybrook which will start when the Education. Boundaries Commission submits its report to Parliament, tip the existing thirteen education districts and cutting them down to nine. lioud wails are said to be already in the air in Taranaki, Marlborough, and l West'land, whose members will put up a stiff fight before allowing their cherished local institutions to be merged into others, however fine and large. There is more than a smack of old provincial jealousy over the business. Marlborough and Nelson fought bitterly till they _ were separate provinces; now it is said they must come together for education's sake, so we must look out for loud protests from the hefty McCa'llum, and equally spirited, though not such thunderous noises, from the gentle Field who represents the sleepy "city" on Golden Bay.