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REVIEW OF REVIEWS. 



the less one likes it. Theoretically, it 

 is just what is wanted; in practice, 

 politics always enter into the working 

 of the business with disastrous results. 

 The object-lesson of the railways here 

 ought to convince anyone of the im- 

 mense advantage of State controlled 

 over State owned concerns. 



The New Ministry. 



Mr. Cook has been able to select a 

 strong Government. Sir John Forrest 

 goes back to the Treasury, where he 

 will require all his skill to make both 

 ends meet. Mr. W. H. Irvine takes 

 office for the first time in a Federal 

 Government, having selected the At- 

 torney-Generalship. This was ex- 

 pected to go to Mr. Glynn, of South 

 Australia, who filled it with con- 

 spicuous ability in the last Liberal Ad- 

 ministration. Instead, he takes charge 

 of the External Affairs Department, 

 where he will undoubtedly have more 

 scope, for after finance the most awk- 

 ward problems confronting the new 

 Administration are the Northern Terri- 

 tory, Papua, and foreign relations 

 generally. Everyone will agree that 

 Mr. Glynn is in the right place, for he 

 combines wide knowledge with a prac- 

 tical ability some of his more academi- 

 cal colleagues lack. Mr. L. E. Groom 

 will have an uneasy time at the receipt 

 of Customs, for, although the tariff was 

 a dead horse at this election, there are 

 not wanting influential organs who 

 insist it was the chief question, and 

 will demand revision thereof. Senator 

 E. D. Millen, of New South Wales, goes 

 to the Defence Department ; Mr. Agar 

 Wynne takes charge of the Post Office, 

 Senator McColl, the solitary Liberal 

 Senator Victoria possesses, is re- 

 warded with the Vice-Presidency of the 

 Executive Council, and Senator 

 Clemons, of Tasmania, and Mr. W. H. 

 Kelly, of New South Wales, are honor- 

 ary Ministers. Mr. Kelly will, however, 



take active charge of the Home Office, 

 to leave Mr. Cook free to devote all his 

 time to steering the ship of state 

 through the dangers ahead. 



What will They Do? 



The question should rather be, 

 " What can they do?" Obviously, verv 

 little. After a Speaker has been 

 elected the parties will be exactly 

 equal in the Lower House, and the 

 Government will be in a hopeless 

 minority in the Upper. Mr. Bruce 

 Smith, it is expected, will become 

 Speaker, and will certainly fill that 

 high and, just now, especially difficult 

 office with distinction. Mr. Cook's fol- 

 lowers, unlike their opponents, are 

 neither accustomed, nor in many cases 

 able, to attend Parliament with unfail- 

 ing regularity. The coming session 

 must be a severe strain on them, and 

 Mr. Cook will probably be forced to 

 announce that he will take no notice of 

 snap divisions, and will, no doubt, en- 

 deavour to restrict the meetings of Par- 

 liament to three or four hours dailv. 

 Parliament meets os July 8th, and will 

 adjourn for a month. The Govern- 

 ment should survive a two or three 

 months' session, and the long recess 

 will carry it safely over till next May 

 or June. For fifteen months, at any 

 rate, there is little expectation of an- 

 other election. There is not much pros- 

 pect of any contentious legislation 

 being brought in. The electoral laws 

 may be modified, the rolls will certainly 

 have to be revised, but the Government 

 will go "cannily" throughout next ses- 

 sion. The present deadlock cannot of 

 course continue very long. The Govern- 

 ment will naturally choose its own time 

 to bring matters to a crisis. The Con- 

 stitution provides for a double dissolu- 

 tion after a Bill has been twice passed 

 by the Lower House and rejected by 

 the Senate. An interval of three months 

 must elapse between the first and 



