CABINET MATTERS

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 24

CABINET MATTERS

THE IRREGULARITIES AT MOTUIHI. (Feom Oub Own Cobbespondent.) WELLINGTON, January 16. • Cabinet was unable to agree to-day about the representation of New Zealand at the Imperial War Cabinet, and the matter is to be adjourned for a week. Mixed up wth the question of the.choice of New Zealand's representatives is the question of the future control of the Defence Department. This, indeed, i 6 a question which has exercised the heads of the Government for some time, and it was brought to a climax by the Motuihi muddles. In the official statement made at the time of the announcement of the steps to be taken as the result of the Cour,t oi Inquiry, it was stated that the question whether the general officer commanding was in any part to blame was "under consideration." This is thought in defence circles to be a very extraordinary statement to have been made if it is not to be followed by action, because it is always the rule that the officer first in command is faultless .until he is dismissed. There is' good ground for saying that the statement made at the time was not the expression of the opinion of the Defence Minister, and that ho was not the only Minister who had something to do with the framing of the written statement that was given to the press after the meeting of Cabinet which received the report of the Court of Inquiry. This is one of the matters on which the opinion of the Cabinet is divided. It is a fact, however, that Sir James Allen is the victim of rumours sedulously circulated concerning that inquiry and the facts disclosed. It is being said that he was directly to blame for some of the proved irregularities and elackness. This is not true.