The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY, JULY 30. 1915.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3995, 30 July 1915, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY, JULY 30. 1915.

Is a National Ministry Possible?

'11,,, history of {.be Coalition negoiia- j lions is cui'iiaii to be read with very considerable interest. ]n liis letter intimating the refusal I ,v the Opposition to accept- the terms offered by the Government- the Leader of flio Opposition makes out (it wili have been noted) that the clue! difii-cult-y was that the Opposition would not be satisfied unless the seals m any proposed National Minisiry ai.e equally divided as between the Government raid the Opposition. Bui- il we are not very greatly mistaken what was really at the bottom of ti le laiiure of the proceeding was merely the stipulation on the part ot the Govci nn„.nt party t-luit their side should bold tie portfolios of Defence and finance The suggestion by Sir .foseplt Ward that if the Government had any malonl v :ii all in such a Miuvstiy it would bo sure to use it to command its own way on every occasion >lll conneelion with matters of administration as well as matters of legislation is altogether too thin. Why it such were at all likely to he the case it would, of course, moan that the Government is not sincere in its appeal fp the. Opposition to assist in the Government of the Dominion during the remainder of the period of the war. That is assuredly not the real position His further contention that- the bestmeans of securing concessions from both sides iu regard to matters in dispute would be to have a Cabinet in which the votes would be equally divided is also not one that will commend itself to most people as being reasonable. Such ast ate oi ad airs as is suggested by the Opposition might simply lead to the threatening of an ugly deadlock on a very line point at any time. The Opposition, too, must know that, when the National Ministry was formed at Home, the present Prime Minister was left in his important post. What is more Unionists, although they outnumber any other single party in the House of Commons, neither claimed nor expected that the representation to be offered them iu tb»‘ proposed Ministry should be as largo as the representation that would be retained by the party in power. •Furthermore, his attempt to explain that there is no analogy as regards what was considered necessary at Home and what is considered necessary in this Dominion is rather unhappy. Wo do not think, however, that Sir Joseph "Ward is entirely to blame for the deadlock that has been reached in connection with the negotiations. For his own part he does not suggest that it. would be right in the circumstances for anybody other than Mr Massey to bo the Premier in any National Ministry that might be established at. the present juncture. There would seem to have been some private discussion on a proposal that in a five-five National • Ministry Mi Massey, as Premier, should have a casting vote as well as his ordinary deliberative vote. But this sup lion clearly did not moot v with the approval of the Opposition party as a whole. We may say, further, that wo believe that if the Opposition, as well as the Government,’is really sincere in the desire that a non-party National Ministry •should be established it can still become an accomplished fact without very much give and take. A way out of tbo difficulty might, we think, bo found if the Opposition would agree to a five-five Ministry with the condition that Mr Massey, as Premier, shall bo privileged to exercise the- customary voting power of a chairman; and if the Government, on its part, would forego its claim to

either the portfolio of Defence or the portfolio of Finance. In the case of the National Ministry at Homo it will he recalled that the Asquith party had no hesitation about handing over the position of First Lord of the Admiralty to the cx-Unionist leader, Mr Balfour. As far as we can see the post of Minister for Defence might very reasonably he offered to Dr. MeNab, who is well versed in military matters and was in fact the leader j oi the agitation which resulted in the ! placing of the present Defence system i fill the statute hook. As regards the portfolio of Finance we feel that by far the greater majority of the electors ol this Dominion would prefei Hint it should remain in the hands of Mr Allen. In Sir Joseph 'Ward': - lie might he offered the portfolio of Railways which is. as is voll-kuown, next in importance, from the point of view of emolumeiil, at any rate, to that of the Prime Ministership. We may he wrong hut we also feel that, excepting in the position of Postmas-icr-detio.ral, the present Deader of tlm Opposition did his best work as a Minister of the Crown' when lie was in charge of the Railways Department. If the basis of Coalition Chat we have suggested should he agreed upon there would, we believe, he no difficulty in arranging the other details, and it would dispose of any trouble in the matter of seniority.. I’rmi-dakably the general opinion is that a National Ministry should he established and we shall be surprised if considerable pressure from the- supporters of the. rival parties be not exercised in addition to tile stops v. I tic'll are being taken by Jim Kxeellency the Coventor with such a desirable end in view.