MORE SECRETARIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 156, 13 June 1936, Page 2

MORE SECRETARIES.

Prime Minister’s Intention Made Gear.

ONLY ONE AT PRESENT. Press Association —Copy right. Wellington, June 12. The probable appointment of additional Parliamentary Under-Secretaries to the Ministers was indicated by the Prime Minister, the Rt, Hon. M. J Savage, in an interview to-day. Parliamentary Under-Secretaries, he said, would be given definite status under -new legislation to be brought down in the second half of the session and additional appointments were likely to hr made to relieve members of Cabinet of the present heavy pressure of work. At the moment there is only one Parliamentary Under-Secretary. Mr. J. A. Lee, who acts in this capacity to the Prime Minister. During the past few months Mr. Lee has been actively engaged on various special duties and inquiries and has had much more work to do than the ordinary private member. The new procedure will place him on a definite status with regard to his duties. Mr. Savage said it war obvious some Ministers were handling more work than was reasonable. If under-secretaries with proper status were Atached to these Ministers they would be able to carry out many of the official duties. In addition to lightening the routine work the scheme would provide valuable training for younger members of the Government party who in future might be candidates for full Cabinet rank. Appointments would be made which would operate to the benefit of the Government and tire country as a whole.