COMMENT IN CHRISTCHURCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 3768, 1 June 1926, Page 51

COMMENT IN CHRISTCHURCH.

SOME SURPRISE CAUSED. The Lyttelton Times, commenting edit®* rially on the rearrangement, says:—“The appointment of Mr Wright as Minister o£v Education may cause a little surprise ini some quarters, for it had been confidently ; expected that either Mr Rolleston or Mr) Young would have been entrusted with this / most important portfolio. Probably whafci has influenced the Prime Minister is the] fact that Mr Wright has been a member off the Wellington Education Board for many \ years, and, as delegates to education con- ; ferences know, has always displayed a deep interest in the subject. It can be claimed for the new Minister that he has had ‘ practical experience of the difficulties which ’ confront the education boards of the Do-j minion, and that fact may enable him todo something practical for their benefit* Mr Downie Stewart’s appointment to thet Ministry of Finance was certain, and, in hiss case, tne load of responsibility is to belightened by the transference of the Attor-ney-generalship to Mr Rolleston and ot minor departments to the broad shoulder* . of Mr M'Leod. The appearance of tho, Minister of Lands as head of the Depart-! ment of Industries and Commerce will not be altogether welcome in commercial circles, but, as the Minister has made much of the' appeal to facts in other directions, the facts j regarding the position of some of the most I important of our secondary industries mayj cause him to take action. Perhaps the most) interesting part of the Prime Minister’s! announcement is the definite statement that/ he intends to appoint a new Minister of! Public Works. The postponement of an ap-i pointment will keep the members of the’ party on the qui vive, not because post of such great importance is at all likely to be entrusted to anyone now out/ side the Cabinet, but because the next ref arrangement may make one or more add? tior.al Ministers necessary. The Ministef of Public Works ranks next, although onty in public estimation, to the head of the Government, and there will be a feeling of disappointment that Mr Coates has again postponed making a permanent appoint-, ment.”

A NEW MINISTER. A NATIVE OF DUNEDIN. Mr Wright is an ex-Mavor of Wellington, / and in private life is a printer and pub- J lisher. He was bom in Dunedin and was/ educated at Soots Academy (Hokitika), and' served his apprenticeship on the now de-j funet West Coast Times. When he moved! t/ Wellington he became overseer on that New Zealand Mail. He was a member off the Wellington Harbour Board from 1913 f to 1921, and was a member of the Wellington City Council during the same period, taking office as Mayor in 1921. The new Minister of Education has had a long experience on the administrative side of this work from local school com-, mittees to the Education Board and the Victoria University College Council. Mtf Wright is one of the senior members of the Reform Party, having fourteen and ahalf years’ Parliamentary experience, ranging from 1908 till the present date, with/ one break between 1911 and 1914. He if chairman of one of the Public Petitions Committees of the House of Representatives, an extremely busy committee during/ the session. As a debater, he will strengthen the Ministerial team. He is) particularly well able to cope with a Labour Opposition, because throughout his politi-j cal life he has had actively to meet Labour] campaigners. Mr Wright may not be an attractive speaker, but lie is ready in retort! and forceful in phraseology. Like two other Ministers appointed by Mr Coates, tho • latest recruit has, on occasion, shown a tendency to independence of thought ini political matters. He was one of the small 1 group of reformers who, a few sessions ago, made outspoken objection to the then j Prime Minister’s proposal to reduce tho land tax.

Mr Wright has been always a strong supporter of the New Zealand Alliance,. and, as a “dry” representative, held office’ on the Wellington Licensing Bench.