MINISTERIAL CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 42, 13 November 1907, Page 7

MINISTERIAL CRISIS.

•'.vV MR. KIDSTON RESIGNS. NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION ALREADY. fI^TEIiEQEAVU—rBEBS ASSOCIATION—OOrIRIQHT. ''.[: -Oleo. Nov. 12, 6.36 p.m.) "' Brisbane, November 12. In tho Assembly to-day Mr. Kidston -announced tho resignation of his Ministry. • Mr. Philp,- Leader of the Opposition, announced that he had been sent for, and had consented to form a Ministry. ' Mr. Kidston ga~e notico to' movo tomorrow that the Houso, docs not favour tho ohango of government. THE'.;: QUEENSLAND..' THREE-PARTY ;','■: SYSTEM.- / . ''•'■;' MR. PHILP AS PREMIER. , .','.' —~—~"'; Brisbane, November 12. '] A ; special meeting of tho Cabinet was hold iast. night to discuss the position that has I arisen'as a result of the Premier's'negotiations with the Labour pwty. Ac&uius of tho Ministerialists is. convened, for to-day'. It is persistently re-' ported -that Mr. Kidston'intonds to resign tho Premiership. ;._ The' Hon'. Robert Philp is called to: tho Premiership for the second time. Ho began his Ministerial career as Secretary for Public Works in 1893, and after holding several other portfolios, including 1 that of Treasurer, in the interval, 1 becanio Premier in December 1899, •and./held .that Office fill December, 1903.' Ho ■wis Succeeded by the. Hon'. A. Morgan, who' was/.Preniior till January, 1900, when\his colloagtoO, tho Hon. William Kidston, succeeded him,-'and has held the Premiorship to date. Mr.•"'Kidston entered Parliament in March, 189G,'for.Kockhampton, which ho has continuously represented ever since, first attaining Ministerial rank in December, 1899, as a ihort-livod Treasurer. -~ His,'successor and pre■lecessor, Mr. Philp,'was ten years'earlier in Parliament,''and lias-'represented Musgravo ind.Townsvillß. . ,

.The; later-history, of Queensland has been that of the three-party system. Mr. Philp leads the anti-Socialist party; tho Labour or Socialist party is. led by Mr. ißowman; Mr. KldstonTT-irho terms himself a 1 Labour man who puts-measures on the Statuto Book without? talking about them—leads the middle party.; As, a result, of tho recent elections, the three' parties are, according to Mr. Kidston, of almost- equal strength. : In the past, me Kidstohltes have ruled with tho aid of tho Labour, party, but the latter, dissatisfied with ;he -extent to which the Government■ was prepared; to go legislatively, dissolved tho allianco prior, to, the recent elections; and the coniosc was t fought by the three separato parties with ibbnt.' equal mutual bitterness. , ..Critics predicted that, taking advantage 1 of the'strategical features of the three-party system,:; Mr. Kidston would find himself, after the elections, "in the position of being able, like Mr. Deakin in the Federal Parliament, to ally himself with either party." But prior to the elections': Mr. Kidston firmly resisted any attempt to coalesce with the Philp parlAr, abiding by lis cbnvictions to the extent or a bitter severance with one of his Ministers, Mr. Denham'f'who resigned and ontored the camp of Mr.Philp. On the other hand, only recontly Mr.':Kidston made a full, frank, and public proposal of alliance with the Labour party, whom he* invited to co-operato with the Government in the country, and to join in a campaign against -their common enemy the Legislative Council; as the > destroyer of democratic Bills— a <crusade which tho Government was hot strong enough to conduct alone. The Labour party politely declined the.alliance, and tho result is the resignation of Mr. Kidston.: No good ■ government, ho'has said, can come of responsibility unaccompanied- by power. .The Labour, party evidently feels itself in a position, to either "KidstaT or Philp, and to get more by free-lance fighting than by compromise:' - If this is so, the second Philp Ministry should, be 'short-lived. 1 The Labour party 'says it will Support "not men, but measures.". ..' : At"'• the recent 'elections, both Mr. Kidston and Mr.. Philp offered the country a "social reform" ,platform, and the following planks 'were/ professed .hy both of them:—Steamship irrigation, university for Queensland, old age.' pensions, wages boards, civil service superannuation,, reduction of members of the Assembly, referendum on the Bible inschools question. Mr. Philp also adopted;— Opposition ,o Socialism, social reforms, remission of stock ixes.'-': '■ »"