CONSTITUTIONAL TROUBLES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 50, 22 November 1907, Page 6

CONSTITUTIONAL TROUBLES.

i The remarkable position reached in Queensland politics affords opportunity for an interesting study of constitutional methods, and discloses an extremely unsatisfactory condition of public affairs. The situation aros'e out of the difficulty experienced by the late Premierj Mr. Eidston, in secviring. a coalition with the Labour party in order to carry on His campaign against the Legislative Council, which he regarded as a bar to democratic legislation. The three-pa.rty system prevails in Queensland politics, and Labour is in the position of holding the balance oi power. It is more in sympathy with the Eidston, than with the Pliilp, party, but refuses to pledge its support to either. Finding himself unable to carry on the struggle with the Upper House as he desired, Mr. Eidston adopted the heroic course of sending in his resignation. Mr. Philp, Leader of the Opposition, was then sent for, and formed a Ministry which was immediately shown to lack the confidence of the House, being defeated on division by thirty-seven votes to twenty-eight. The outcome has been that the new Piemier claimed, and was granted, a dissolution, and will go to the country with the advantage which always, belongs to the party in power. The position so far is clear enough. The difficulty in understanding the situation arises when one attempts to discover the reasons which actuated the Governor in supporting" the requests of the Philp Government. Here is a case in which a Premier resigns while still backed by a majority of the House. His successor not only' fails to secure sufficient support to carry on the business of Parliament, but is refused Supply by the House, and declares his intention to carry on with the people's money whether the people like it or not. And yet the Governor retains him in office. We cannot pretend to know all that has transpired between Mr. Eidston and the Governor, but it is quite evident that the late Premier is not satisfied with the attitude of His Excellency towards the Kidston Ministry, as he intimates that, but for ■ his. consideration for the Governor, he might have pursued a course which was followed in New Zealand by the late Mr. Ballance. The incident here referred to touches on an interesting and important constitutional point. When the Ballance Government came into office it deemed it necessary to make a number of appointments to the Legislative Council in order to ensure |he passing of the legislation to which it had pledged itself at the hustings. It- desired to make twelve appoint ments: Lord Onslow, the then Governor, declined to accept the advice of Ministers beyond the appointment of eight. new • Legislative Councillors. Beforethe difference was settled Lord Onslow returned to England, but his successor, Lord Glasgow, adopted a similar attitude, holding that he was not bound to follow the advice of his advisers where he conscientiously believed that he was not justified in so doing. He was wiljing, however, to appoint nine instead of twelve new members. After much correspondence had passed between the Governor and Mr. Ballance, in which neither would give way, the matter was forwarded on to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, with the result that the Premier was upheld and the Governor advised to accept the advice of his Responsible Advisers. It does not appear that Mr. Eidston proposed to defeat the ends of the Queensland Legislative Council by appointing a sufficient number of his own nominees to ensure the passage of Government measures, but it would seem from this morning's cable news that something of the kind was in his mind. What the result of the coming elections will be is not easy to forecast, although it seems impossible that the Philp Government can be returned with, sufficient strength to continue in office. The Labour party, which by its refusal to join forces with either the Eidston or Philp sections, has been mainly responsible' for the unfortunate position created, may derive some benefit from the situatwi, but the three-party system in political affairs is not likely to gain in public esteem from the occurrences of the past fortnight.