Yesterday saw the new House o: Representatives sworn, and the first! session of the ninth Parliament the Commonwealth duly ushered by a colourless speech from the Governor-General. The new Miaistry has supply until the end of next June, and the session is merely in compliance with the constitutional obligation to call the House} together within 30 days after the return of the writs for a general election. It has been admitted the Prime Minister, Mr. 8. M.! Bruce, that, in forming a composite: Nationalist-Country Party cabinet! matters of policy have not been! considered, and on only two points has there been any agreement and in each case it takes the form of shelving the problems involved. The Ministry, therefore, requires time discover why it is in office, what it wants to do, and how it is going to do it. An interval of a few months will also serve to give the ministerial following a chance of settling down, and di covering how best they can together. At present Nationalist and Country members hold their party meetings in different rooms, and amongst the Nationalists at least there has been resentment freely expressed at the tone of superiority adopted by Mr. Earle Page, the Treasurer, and leader of the Country Party, since he became a Minister. Mr. Hughes, ex-Prime Minister, has urged the Nationalists to give the Government every support, but, if differences of opinion arise, they must consider matters from the Nationalist standpoint. Sir Elliott Johnson. x. c. M. G., who has been Speaker for seven years, has had to make way at the behest of the Country Party for Mr. W. A. Watt and it is freely asserted that this is the mere gaging' of a man whose high ability as a Treasurer might with candid criticism make the position of Dr. Page less than comfortable, Had the intention to shelve Sir Liliott been known earlier it might have been possible to use his administrative abilities and experience in a cabinet position.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.