PM No. 39/ 196).
FOR PRESS STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER
RESIGNATION OF THE MINISTER FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SQe. months ago, Senator Sir ", illiam Spooner, Minister
for National Development and Leader of the Government in the Senate, and
Acting Prime Minister in September 1962, told me that, after an uncommonly
long, continuoes and arduous period of Ministerial service, he would like
me to agree that, at some convenient time towards the middle of this
year, he might resign from the Cabinet, while still continuing to serve
in the Senate. e discussed this at considerable length. I knew that
She had made great and patriotic sacrifices of his personal and
professional interests, and that he had every right to return to normal
family life. On the other hand, T was, as the head of the government,
conscious of my own natural desire to retain the services of a Minister
who had, with unsurpassed devotion and concentration of effort, achieved
so much in the establishment of a firm foundation for the great Snowy
Mountains Scheme, in the development of water resources along the Murray
and elsewhere, in the improvement of the coal mining and marketing
industries, in the encouragement of bauxite minmng, of uranium production,
of oil search, indeed of mineral development gancrally, particularly in
the North of Australia. His name will always be remembered in connection
with Northern Development, from the Ord River to the new beef ro'. ds of
Queensland. To these I must add his persistent activity in the field
of housing, in War Service Homes, and in the periodic negotiations of
Commonwealth-State Housing agreements, and in the provision of funds
for Building Societies. But, conscious and proud as I was of these notable
achievements, I did net feel able to deny his request. I felt, and feel,
that so long and sustained and successful an effort of public service
had earned him a period of private or semi-private life.
Accordingly, Sir William has today tendered his
resignation from the office of Minister for National Development. This
is a great loss to the Government. It is for me a real deprivation.
Our close association and friendship have been a source of strength to
me over the years. No Prime Minister could have had a more faithful
colleague, or one more devoted to the highest interests of the growth
of the nation.
CANBERPRA 2nd June, 1964.
I received the following letter from Senator Sir William Spooner:
" My dear Prime Minister, I now formally tender my resignation to you as a
Minister of State. As you know I have had it in mind to do this for
some months past. After my lengthy service in Cabinet now in its
fifteenth year and permitting insufficient time to attend to my fown
personal affairs, I woula wish to be relieved of Ministerial duties
so that I could, under less continuous pressure, pay more attention
to my own professional and business interests.
0 I have been happy to have your understanding of my
desires and your agreement to permit me to give effect to them.
I know that I will miss the interesting work of my
portfolio and of Cabinet. I will however continue as a Senator
and be able to assist the Government in that capacity.
1 take pride in having been on3 of your M1inisters
for so long and in the friendships which I have made with you, our
Smutual inisterial colleagues, and so many others."
and have sent the following reply:
" Thank you for your letter of 29th May. I am
issuing a statement to the press in the terms which I attach; that
statement will, I hope, reasonably express my feelings on this
occasion. You carry with you, of course, my warmest friendship
and good wishes. As, in point of practice, it will be necessary to
have a formal letter of resignation from yourself to the Governor-
General and as there will be some Ministerial re-arrangements to
be made, I would be grateful if you would allow me to hold your
resignation for a few days before actually presenting it to His
Excellency. Kindest regards."
JUNE 2, 1964.