CANADIAN GOVERNMENT

Evening Star, Issue 21231, 12 October 1932, Page 7

CANADIAN GOVERNMENT

LIBERAL LEADER'S ATTACK A HOSTILE AMENDMENT Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. OTTAWA, October 10. _ The Liberal Leader (Mr Mackenzie King) brought the attack on the Government to a climax in the House of Commons on Monday by moving an amendment to the Address-in-Reply to the Speech from the Throne. It read: “ Whilst reserving any expression of view upon the merits of the agreements concluded at the recent Imperial Economic Conference, the House is of the opinion that the tariff policies of the present Administration nave seriously injured the trade of Canada and have intensified the economic depression, and that tho Government has wholly failed to afford a remedy for unemployment and agricultural distress, as pledged by the Prime Minister. The House regrets that, apart from the dole, the Government has no policy in respect to the relief of unemployment, and it also deplores the Government’s obvious endeavour, by postponing the revising of the Bank Act, to avoid the immediate consideration by Parliament of the all-important subjects of banking, credit, and currency.” Referring to the Imperial Economic Conference, the Liberal Leader said that the method of negotiation was unfortunate. “It was one of bargaining, and I believe that the bargaining business as a matter of Imperial pohcy is all wrong. The nations of the Empire are one in kinship, race, sentiment, tradition, and allegiance to a common Crown, and a method other than that of bargaining should be adopted, one where representatives of the Empire nations could meet to discuss common problems. Conservative members claim that Mr Bennett’s position forced Great Britain to change her fiscal policy. If that is so, then the Empire is threatened with disruption. This means that one part of the Empire could dictate a fiscal policy to any other part, for if Canada took that position towards others, other Empire nations must bo conceded tho right to take the same stand towards Canada.”

Replying to the Liberal Leader, the Prime Minister (Mr R. B. Bennett) criticised Mr King for attempting to “ depreciate the efforts of the Government’s action at the Imperial Economic Conference.” and he said that the Liberal Leader could not disguise his spleen that a successful conference had been held in the country. The discussions on the trade pacts negotiated at the conference would be comprehensive. Mr Bennett promised to table them on Wednesday, and, if the Opposition desired it, the discussion would be delayed for a day or two to provide time for study and meditation. Nothing that Mr King had said showed that the Government was impotent to deal with unemployment and falling trade. Mr Bennett declared that it was sheer partisanship to say that Canada alone was affected, “ Psychological influences must be set to work if the depression is to lift,” he said, and he declared that the Government, in season and out of season, had done everything to restore confidence, and he would tell the people of the country that the lot of the Canadians was better than that of any other people in the world. BELLICOSE CRITICS VANCOUVER, September 26. There is likely to be heated discussion when the measures embodying ratification of the Ottawa agreements are placed before the Canadian Parliament on October 6. The most bellicose critics will be the Progressive and Farmer Labour groups, who are incensed at the summary way in which the currency question was handled by the conference. The Conservatives, led by Mr R. B. Bennett, have a big majority over all parties in the House.