CABINET CHANGES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23221, 15 December 1938, Page 14

CABINET CHANGES

SOCIAL SECURITY POST MR. NASH'S MANY TASKS HOUSING AND ADVANCES MR, ARMSTRONG'S ROLE fBY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] WELLINGTON, Wednesday Portfolio changes involving four members of the Ministry were announced to-day in an interview by the Prime Minister, the Pt. Hon. M. J. Savage. The Minister of Finance and Customs, the Hon. W. Nash, will become Minister of Social Security and will be relieved of certain portfolios he holds now. The Hon. H. T. Armstrong will relinquish the portfolio of Labour to the Minister of Mines, the Hon. P. C. Webb, and will become Minister in charge of Housing and State Advances, positions previously held by Mr. Nash.

The Attorney-General, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, will relieve Mr. Nash of administration of the Public Trust Office. The departments and portfolios that will now be controlled by these lour Ministers are: — Mr. Nash.—Finance, Customs, Marketing, Social Security., Stamp Duties, Land and Income Tax, Public Service Superannuation, Government Life Insurance, State Fire Insurance and Census and Statistics. Mr. Armstrong. —Housing and State Advances, and Immigration. Mr. Mason. —Attorney-General, Justice, Prisons and Registrar General s Department, Public Trust Office, and Patents, Designs, Trademarks and Copyright Office. Mr. Webb. —Labour, Mines and Printing and Stationery Department. The changes will still leave Mr. Nash with a considerable burden of responsibility, although the disposal of Housing and State Advances will relieve him of a task that is rapidly developing in importance. As the Prime Minister remarked, these two represented one of the most important features of State activity and for that reason would have the personal attention of another Minister in future.