STATE OF PARTIES

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 68, 17 September 1926, Page 7

STATE OF PARTIES

HOUSE AS IT WAS BEFORE LAST ELECTION

A VISITOR'S COMMENT ON CANADA.

(_|y Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") DUNEDIN, This Day. Interviewed on the. Canadian elec- ] tions, Mr. R. S. Kingslcy, of Montreal, who is on a visit to Dunedin, said:— "It certainly looks as if the position will resolve itself into another stalemate,, worse-than no election at all." It looked as if the.proeent position would bring about a duplicate of the House as it stood prior to the previous election in October. There was no doubt iv his mind that no party had any definite majority, which was a most unfortunate state of affairs. No party had had any real power for the past five years, which was possibly one reason for the bitterness that had been shown during tho recent elections. "The only. fortunate thing about the elections that I can see," said Mr. Kingslcy, "is that gradually the people are getting back to two parties again." "Do you-think that the .elections will have any significance from tho Imperial point of view?" he was asked. "They are bound to havo some significance," was tho reply, "as the present result means that neither Liberals nor the Conservatives have a clear majority in the Houso and nobody can

speak for the Dominion." Mr. Kingsley said that in ono respect it was regrettable that the province of Quebec was almost solidly Liberal. Quebec was entitled to sixty-five members permanently, and the Houso was constituted on a ratio of the population of tho other provinces to that of Quebec. Of 115 Liberals elected on this occasion he would assumo that 60 of them were drawn from the province of Quebec, the^ remainder being scattered throughout the Dominion. At the last elections in October, Ontario was almost solid Conservative, so that of the two big provinces one was Liberal and the other Conservative. Ho assumed from the present results, however, that the Conservatives, had lost moro heavily in Ontario than in any other section. "I am very much interested in the Tariff question," said Mr. Kingslcy, "and I do not see any prospect of a change in the Tariff in Canada as far as New Zealand is concerned, except perhaps in the' motor business."

Dealing with the question of. the Australian Treaty, he said the position would be very largely determined by the proportion of farmer candidates who were returned, and they in the past had seemed to be of opinion that the importation of Australian goods, such as, say, butter, was against their interests. They had raised very decided objections to tho Australian Treaty, and in view of- the fact that they hold the balance of power they were being listened to very attentively, and the Treaty was suffering as a result. "My opinion is that both the Liberals and the Conservatives would deal with the question of Australia and her Treaty iv a more favourable' light if either had a clear majority," said Mr. Kingsley, "and the general feeling in Canada is in favour of Empire trade." It was certainly a little too early to form any definite conclusion as to whether the Premier, Mr. Meighen, was going to bo retained until the House met, he continued, or whether Mr. Mackenzie King would be asked to take over immediately. "The situation, is very similar to that which occurred last October, though the positions aro now reversed. Mackenzie King was then carrying on as Premier with the aid of the Progressives. Ho went to tho country, his numbers wore seriously reduced, and he himself and* eight of his Ministers were defeated. Tho Conservatives had a larger number of straight representatives than lie had, and yet Mackenzie King continued in office until 28th June. To people in New Zealand and Australia, Jir. Kingsley pointed out, a significant fact would be that Labour secured only three seats. The Labour question did not really onter into politics in Canada, and the farmers' block as a political entity seems to have been seriously reduced during the last two elections.