ADDITIONS TO CABINET

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12406, 27 March 1926, Page 5

ADDITIONS TO CABINET

APPOINTMENTS TO BE MADE IN VERY NEAR FUTURE WHO WILL THE NEW MINISTERS BE? —' \ SPECULATION IS PLENTIFUL: INFORMATION IS SCARCE In the course of a little vohile fresh appointments to the Cabinet will be made. Not very long ago Messrs Young, Hawken, and Rolleston were elevated to the Ministry, and now- that the selection of a new batch is at hand, people with the political bug are guessing again. As on the former occasion, some of the guessing- is rather wild. One man whose place has to be filled is Sir James Parr, who goes to England to be High Commissioner. Sir James leaves behind him the portfolio of Education and the Post-master-Generalship. Probably it will be found that Mr F. J. Rolleston, who is at present holding the Defence portfolio, will become Minister for Education. -Mr Nosworthy will part with Finance at the end of the present month, and Mr Stewart will be his successor. Finance is a big. job, and probably Mr Stewart will require to drop some of his present work, which includes Industries and Commerce. Sir Francis Bell has gone, "leaving vacant the AttorneyGeneralship and the leadership of the Legislative Council. Southerners appear to be confident that Mr David Jones will be one of the new additions to the Cabinet. A Wellington story is in circulation that Mr R. A. Wright is in the runnipg; another idea is that if Sir James Gunson is elected for Eden a place will be found for him. Postponement of the appointments will lend colour to the last-mentioned idea. Auckland might feel that it has a claim on one of the vacancies, but Sir James would indeed get his political advancement easily if this were done for him, and the chances are that he will not find the way thus clear. Of course, he is not in Parliament yet. Nothing has been heard for some time of the prospects of Mr E. P. Lee, whose previous experience gives him some claim to consideration. Mr J. A. Nash’s prospects are being revived again. Among those who have been suggested as likely to step into the shoes of Sir Francis Bell is Mr Vernon Reed, a suggestion which cannot be adopted with any great confidence. Another side to the situation is that the Prime Minister is carrying a big load just now, and might feel disposed to drop Public Works. Who is that going to? Some say that Mr McLeod will take it up. If Mr Coates were not going to retain Native Affairs, the chances of Mr S. Williams would look bright. The elevation of Mr Williams would be the most popular appointment of recent years.