"STRATFORD EVENING POST" TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1928. THE NEW MINISTRY.

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 100, 11 December 1928, Page 4

"STRATFORD EVENING POST" TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1928. THE NEW MINISTRY.

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S task m ehoosingi fails new Cabinet was not f by any meuns an easy one, but ho can be complimented upon making u good job of it. The calibre of the men selected is high and taking it as a whole the new Ministry is a distinct advance! upon that which it h)is replaced. Sir Joseph has included iouii ne.w members, Messrs Donald, Cobbe, Stallworthy and Taverner. and though some may think that it is a revolutionary step to appoint as. Ministers, men who have been newly elected to Parliament, it musi? be said that all are outstanding and can be trusted , to bring business methods to bear In the administration of their departments which is vsomothitig that is whntea rather desperately. In the past there has been overmuch of Departmental headfo dictating the policy of Ministers, due largely to % lack of init'ative on the part of the latter. We do not suggest departmental heads should be ignored, cm the contrary, their advice and co-operation is necessary, but the Ministry should loUd and not follow their Departments. Of the older Parliamentary members inclndedl we find Mr G. A?. Forbes as Minister °f Lands and Agriculture. He is a practidil farmer with constructive ideas and should fill the position weir Th«n there is Mr Wilforrl, a previous Minister in the Cbaflition Oa/bfmeit. wibol (ajcUivitfced himself well indeed, and can be denended upon to do so again. Sir A. ftojita is an outstanding man and the portfolios entrusted to him could not be in better hands, while Messrs Ransom, Atmore, Veitch and De La Perelle, should give £very satisfact•cin. Sir Joseph Ward, as was expected, lias taken the portfolio! of finance, which is whftt the country showed it wiated and is also thp Minister in Phargo of Taxation and Advances. Mr Sidey's appointment a.s Leader- of the Legislative Council will be popular. Sir Joseph has siu. roundedi himself with a team of good men, and there is little doubt their handling of the country's problems, will result in many cf the difficulties confrontine the Dominion being satisfactorily solved.

THE JANUARY EXCURSION.

'iOMGJtlf, a public meeting will be

MM the discuss, arrangements in neo.uon with taiu Kauway excurßion l from Wellington in January, and! it is to be jtiojMsd, it will be. wen attended, 'iliis is tlie Departments initial excursion, to tins town, and it win be a forerunner" of others if is is properly managed, for. the Stratford station ij the nearest railway point to the mountain, and possesses more advantages ior visiting that attraction .than do others. The attraction of visitors should —in factj must —be encouraged, and it tliQ January functjion is carried out ag it should bo a great step forward will have bee.ll taken. The people of this town do not seem, to be alive, to its importance, as a centre, and because, of this the community action taken i s not always what it should he. Many things which could be turned to beneiit are allowed, to slide because it is nobody's business to bother about them, the result being that Stratford is "left''' more often than anything else. Yet nothing big that has been arranged here, lias eve.r failed, and in this regard only one example need he quoted—the Jubilee, A committee composed of representatives from various public; and semi-public bodies should be appointed to deal with matters of this' kind, and to-night's meeting will pro-! vide, a. good opportunity for going. mto this phase.

THE BATTLE OF THE SITES. A DEADLOCK has be«n reached in connection with the selection of ksite for the- erection of the proposed grandstand hi Victoria, Park, which is what we expected would happen. The Domain Board discussed the matter at length last night, and) hi perusal of the report, published where will show that there is little chance of unaninity being, reached. Therefore it was decided to refer the matter foi the ratepayers, many of whom will probably not trouble to vote. It is rather a pity it should have been "inecessary to take this course, as the Board should hav« been auito capable of settling the point. However, under the circumstances, probably nothing else could bei done, though which ever way the decision goes a number will be dissatisfied.