THE COLONIST. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, APRIL 1,1912. THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK. THERE seems to be little prospect of the

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13380, 1 April 1912, Page 4

THE COLONIST. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, APRIL 1,1912. THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK. THERE seems to be little prospect of the

subsidence at present of tlio k interest which the uncertainty of the situation has caused to centre in politics. Sir Joseph Ward has brought to a close, but temporarily we hope, the distinguished paii; he has played in the public life of the Dominion, and the differences of opinion inseparable from politics have not prevented people of all political creeds uniting in expressions of apprecjition of his great services to the country. We not believe SirJoseph's career as our foremost statesman is yet closed. A man as emiiientlj' qualified as he fop the service of the people in an exalted capacity cannot long remain an ordinary member of the Legislature. In the meantime it is clear that the difficulties prophesied for the iiew Prime Minister have not been exaggerated, and in the political intelligence we publish this morning there is no lack of indications that whatever method he pursued in calling a Cabinet to his aid, the cai*es of his position would not have been sensibly ■lightened. We commented on Friday upon the generous regard which was paid to. Canterbury in filling the Ministerial places. The presence in the Cabinet of four Ministers representing Canterbury constituencies, while the neighbouring province of Otago strictly speaking has none, has. not unnaturally been received with a good deal of disfavour in tiro south. Geographical considerations for some reason seem to bo given more importance than they are entitled to in Cabinet construction, but while they are allowed to influence the filling of vacant portfolios such in- | equalities are bound to cause friction land heartburning, and what used to jbo Auckland's grievance is now likely to I become Otago's. The allotment of port-

folios announced on Thursday night was probably not intended to be the final division of the responsibilities of the Cabinet among its members. One or two modifications have already been made to effect a more evenly balanced distribution. Under this arrangement Mr Ell, one of the unpaid Ministers, relieves Mr Colvin of the duties of Post-master-General, and Mr Russell takes over a minor post from the same Minister, enabling the latter to devote his almost exclusive attention to the very important portfolio cf Mines. From our Wellington correspondent's • comments it seems tlfat although Mr Ell's responsibilities are so heavily increased, he remains unsalaried. It seems probable also that an, alteration will be necessary to permit of Mr Myers confining himself to the especially onerous duties of Minister of Finance and Railways, by allotting the defence administration to one of his colleagues. These are matters of detail, however, and are of less present interest than the effect* of the sweeping reorganisation upon the rank and file of the party. Before the new Ministry was announced Mr Clark, the , Independent member for Chalmers, who has hitherto voted with the Liberals, iiir dicatcd that his position might be subject to reconsideration, but ho declined | to commit simself to a definite statement until he had had an -opportunity of consulting his constituents. Mr Sidcy, member for Dunedin South, evidently resents the paucity of the representation of the southern end of the Dominion in -Mr Mackenzie's Cabinet, but his loyalty to his party is not likely to be strained to the breaking point by any irritation due to that cause. The wayward member for Grey Lynn, Mr Payne, has plainly intimated his intention of voting against the new Administration at the first opportunity, in -order to put Mr Massey's avowed sympathy with the workers to the test. The only ground of his discontent apparently is the non-inclusion in Mr Mackenzie's selection of a Minister drawn from among the four Labour members of the House. Mr Veitch, Labour member for Wanganui, shows a more reasonable and patient attitude. When interviewed regarding the situation, ho declined either to criticiso or extol the new Ministry, saying that when they brought down a platform and showed what they were going to do it would be time enough to

judge them. Mr Veitch added that though a number of newspapers had stated that he had been offered a portfolio and predicted his inclusion in the Cabinet, the fact was that ho had receivedrfio such offer. The other Labour members do not seem to have given publicity to the views they entertain on the matter. The position therefore appears to be much as it was before the recent brief session of Parliament. If the member for Grey Lynn carries into effect the determination he expressed on Saturday, and there are no other secessions from either side, there will bo a majority of one against the Government when the House reassembles in Juno, allowing for the return of Mr Wilford and the reurn or pairing of Mr ITcrries by that time. The position is a thoroughly unsatisfactory one from the point of view of of the welfare of the country, and the only solution is to be found in another appeal to the electorates before the end of the year.