THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 37

THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS.

There is great jubilation and very general satisfaction, among members of both the first aiid second div'sions of the railwayservice locally over the appointment of the Hon. J. A. Millar to the position of Minister of Railways. Mr Millar is fully recognised ac a strong man, and railway ] men look forward, under his ad- I ministration, to the rectifying of many of the grievances atwJ ajiomalies which have existed for years past. And this improvement, it is mentioned, can be eas'jy effected without any increased expenditure to the country. There have been grievances among railway servants for many years, and for the existence of the-se the blame is not so much placed on the shoulders of tha Ministers who have previously heJd the portfolio of Railways ac it is upon the administrative officers of the department. Now, the opinon is expressed that the Hon. Mr Millar will see for himself that whatever beneficial legislation is enacted is nut into operation, and that railway men are not denied what is due to them. There is no faith in the management, and the men accordingly look to the Minister, and, confident that Mr Millar will give them what they ask in reason, the new appointment ie hailed with much satisfaction. THE MINISTER OF LABOUR. (From Otjr Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, January 8. The most criticised appointment to Cabinet rank locally is that of Mr Hogg to the portfolio of Labour. " I do not think we shall be any worse off as a ■ result of the change made in the adminis- j tration of the Department of Labour," declared Mr A. Russell (president of the Auckland Trades and Labour Council). Mr Hogg is a broad-minded, capable man, and the fact that his appointment has i not been welcomed by members of the Employers' Associations in differnt parts of the Dominion is no doubt one reason in particular why we should feel justified in thinking that the new Minister has a genuine sympathy for the conditions as : they apply to the workers. The Hon. J. A. Millar did not enhance his reputation amongst the labour people by making the amendments he did to the Arbitra- I tion and Conciliation Act, and altogether ' I don't think we lose anything as the result of his being replaced by Mr Hogg. I It Is admitted that the views a man may hold as a private member must necessarily j be held in check to a certain extent in a Cahinet Minister. We have evidence of | that in the relegation of the Hon. John ' Burns to Cabinet rank at Home, but we are hoping that Mr Hogg will not lose sight of the principles which he has ' always upheld, both in and out of the '< House of Representatives. Seeing that j it was openly rumoured before the announcements were made that there might be a reallotment of portfolios, with the likehhod of Mr Millar accepting that of Railways, I do not think that there is ( anyone we would sooner have seen appointed to the position of Minister of Labour than Mr Hogg, though the con- i fidence of the workers would have been J equally reposed in Mr Laurenson or Mr , Arnold had either of those gentlemen been selected to fill the position." " I would have preterred to have seen Mr Millar retain the position." declared Mi D. Goldie (president ot the Employers' Association), " since he was a fair arid broad-minded man, actuated with a desire to do what was right for both sides. Ido not know enough about Mr Hogg to pass an opinion upon the wisdom of his appointment, but the fact that he is geneially regarded to be something of a Socialist will ha\e a tendency to perhaps cause iome uneasiness in the minds 01 employers." Mr C. Grosvenor (secretary of the Employeis' Association) said the feeling was that Mr Hogg's Socialistic tendencies were such that his appointment would not be regarded as acceptable. As a member of the Hou&e his private opinions in the direction of Socialism would not matter so much, but as a Minister in charge of the Labour Department it made a considerable difference. It was realised that the Prime Minister had difficulty in find- j ing a substitute for Mr Millar, for that [ gentleman had enjoyed the confidence ot the employers throughout the Dominion, and their experience had been such as to warrant the utmost confidence being placed in his fair dealing to both sides. | There was a feeling, however, that Mr ■ Hogg's appointment to the vacancy would j 1 not give the same satisfaction or arouse ' the same confidence. MR MASSEY'S OPINION. AUCKLAND, January 8. Mr MaH=ey, on being interviewed this afternoon with regard to the Cabinet changes, remarked- " I am strongly ' of opinion that the wiong thing i& being done in mci earing the'number of Miuieteii.

' and in support of that opinion I may saythat since the end of last session Ministers have been able to give most of their time to electioneering instead of looking after the business of their departments. Besides, in proportion to the number of members in the House of Representatives, there ai - e too many of what may be called official votes. Now, nine Ministers and two wliips — 11 votes altogether to start with on every question, Whether right or wrong — is too much of an advantage." He ridiculed the suggestion that Mr Carroll was so overworked as to require Mr , Ngata's assistance. LONDON, January 8. The Times says that Sir J. G. Ward's difficulty in the reconstruction of his Cabinet was in making his majority ample : for all practical purposes. If this can bs maintained, the Liberal prospects remain bright. Conciliation of the move moderate elements of his party, in pursuance of Sir J. G. Ward's * advice in favour of a period of repose after the somewhat feverish legislative activity of the last few years, should result in the Prime Minister maintaining his present working majority for some years to come.