Sept. 5.
The completion of the new 1 Ministry has, in the tances, been " rapidly undertaken by the Prime Minister. Although, obviwvsly, he has met with desertion on the from his own following, it is less attributable to lo of his personal ascendancy than to the dominance of the caucus system in the Labour Party, thanks to the influence of the Trade Union organisation. A Coniervative or Liberal Leader, in like case, would not have sean the constituencies whisked away from under his feet, for, powerful as.the Central Conservative Office is, considerable freedom view, especially in regard to choice of representatives, is left to the local servative Associations. Labour, however, has acquired the most profound belief in solidarity. It is a double-edged weapon as Mr. Henderson may yet find to his cost, However, Mr. Henderson has'a tight control of the machine. He has been credited for some tinge with an envious eye on the Prime Minister's ition with the Labour Party.
envy can now be, especially: 8 Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, with generosity in keeping with his munity in the whole course of this crisis, has practically encouraged the rank and file to save themselves from the wrath of the Labour caucus at his expense. In some ways this solid defection of the Labour Party has its advantages, It will work in favour of 01 tit tional rather than extra-constitutional opposition to the Government. Men like Sir Stafford Cripps and Mr. Wedgwood Benn, who have no close associations with Trade jonism would presumably refuse to beled along paths of Parliamentary recreancy, Incidentally. the association of these two former members of the Government with the opposition is surprising. Sir Stafford Cripps great reputation rapidly last ses new Labour Party valuable assistance where it might.be expected tobe weak, Mr. Benn's position is different. At first it was reported that he remained, with Miss Bondfeld, faithful to My. MacDonald. He has already shown his political courage by refusing to bow the knee to Mr. Lloyd George's Coupon Government. Now he may be actuated by other emotions. His eclipse at the Round-Table "Conference by the Prime Minister and Lord Sankey was possibly by no. means to his taste. He has also been! lamentably inet tive in, ment's Indian policy aes is presentation of the
House of Commons. On more than one occasion he has had to grateful to opponents like Sit Samuel Hoare and Sit John Simon for their championship of that policy.
Even when a national oriels is afoot personal difficulties are sure to make themselves felt, On the whole the Prime Minister has overcome them well. He was bound to be dependent on small measure on the Con ey bear in mind the needs of a Con: servative Government of the not very distant future. Regard has also been had to the debating needs of the new Government.
They will have opposite them some of the ablest speakers on the old Labour benches. Therefore the selection of Major W. Elliot and Mr. A. Duff-Cooper to fill posts of considerable import lance will give them useful counter-weights to some of the talent opposite. Mr. Duff-Cooper, in the recent" by-election fat St. George's Hanover Square, showed that he possessed a very biting tongue. It may come in etui if the tone of the new opposition comes up to the expectations of the prophets in Fleet, Street, Two appointments of domestic interest are made bj the inclusion of Major G, Lioyd-George and Mr, Malcolm Mac-Donald, both of whom receive the reward of filial piety, which, no doubt, Mr.
Baldwin, secure in the ranks ofthe Hendersonites, will make Dew
come in the replacement of Sir finite strength Stafford Cripps, as Solicitor General, by Sir "Thomas Inskip, a victim of the General Elec tion of 1929 who recently. returned to Westminster. Sir Thomas an able debater and a good parliamentarian. Sir William Jowitt, who won a spark: ling renown by reason of his acceptance of in a Labour cabinet after election as a Liberal, thas refused to develop the habit lof changing his leader for this leeasion. He has enhanced his reputation by his speeches and Jcommittee-work since he took force and he has also won triumphs in the Courts Attorney-General. Of the real Liberal recruits there is little to be said, "Mr. P. J. Pybus is an amiable and hardworking public man whose merit is greater than his reputation, Mr, Isaac Foot, is a solicitor and a Wesleyan preacher who has made a study of Indian problems with good effect. Both be and Mr. Pybus are men lof about fifty years of age and fare not believed to be purblind admirers of Mr. Lloyd George.
ienced educational _a ministrator in Mr, Henry Gra-! ham White is given his chance Jat the Post Office as. one lof the Liberal beneficiaries: The remaining Liberal to be mentioned is Sir Robert Hamilton, a former member of the Colonial Civil Service, more recently Chairman of the Civil Service Commission and an obliving substitute for Mr.
George in Indian debates.
The exclusion of Mr.
Amery and Sir Arthur St Maitland receives comment. Arthur was Minister of Tat hour in Mr. Baldwin's. last Cabinet. He may be said fo be in imminent danger of a peerage, as would befit a man of his high seademic and sporting attainments. Mr. Amery, faas been a redoubtable champion of Tarift Reform and Dominion development. Sometimes he has been regarded as a most powerful force in the successive \Cebinets to which he has belong-ied, Of late, however, he has lost ground and it has been suggested that he is no exception to the rule that the able journalist turned politician is not a success in the Mouse of Commons. Lord. Hailsham, as the leader of the (Conservatives in the House of Lords, was also expected to hold office. It is reasonable to bellow that "his eventual return to the Woolsack is expected. An ex-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.