CANADIAN POLITICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18120, 19 June 1922, Page 8

CANADIAN POLITICS.

GOVERNMENT'S WEAKNESS. DISTURBING INCIDENTS. EFFECT OF FARMERS' PARTY [FROM OUR OWN CORRESI'ONDBNT.] TORONTO. May 8. Rumours that the Mackenzio-King Government, after only five montha in office, is contemplating another appeal to tho electorate call attention to th«i hazards of the course the Canadian ship of State must steer in the present uniquo political eituation. First experiences on the opening of Parliament were propitious. There was an element of romance in the fact that tho young Premier wa 8 the grandson of a distinguished "rebel." With his buoyancy and ability of savoir faire, he " measured up," at least as far as externals were concerned, to what the public demanded of a Premier. The opening tactics of lus opponents added to his political prestige. Mr. iVieighon, ex-Premier and leader of/ tho Conservative Opposition, lost no time in moving a want of confidence motion. But his motion had the effect of throwing, the entire fanners' group into the amis of the Government, and tho Administration, which, reduced to its own following would have been in a minority, was- sustained by an unprecedented majority, Mr. Meighen found himself the leader of perhana 'die smallest group that ever challenged the right of a Government to lead a Canadian Parliament. Naturally the Liberals were jubilant. .Lack of Homogeneity. But the i.lierent weakness of the Government's petition lies not bo much in its numerical insufficiency as in the lack of homogeneity in its ranks. They include a mid-mannered, genial barrister from Montreal, who in this age of jazz—political, social and economic—retains some of tlie riddity of principles which characterised tho Scottish covenanters, whoso lineal descendant he is. His name is Andrew Mac Master. He retains an old-fashioned belief that peoples which nrofess Christianity shauld apply Christian principles in all their relations, domestic and international, social and economic, public as well ag private. He haa a Standard of conduct.for those in public life which one would expect from such principles. Ministers' Private Affairs. A year ago Mr. Mao Master, then a member of the Liberal Opposition, introduced a Bill providing that Cabinet Ministers must not hold directorship in corporations. Such a Bill would have disqualified one or two members of Mr. Meignen'a Cabinet, and it was voted down—but it received generous Buppcrt„from Mr. MacMaster's fellow-Liberals. - This session, with these self-same friends in power, Mr. Mao Master introduced his principle, this time in the form of a resolution and modified so that its adoption would preclude from Cabinet rank only directors of large public utility corporations, such' as banks, railways, insurance and trust companies. An amazing thing happened. Not one Liberal member except Mr. Mac-* Master himself supported the resolution. The Prime Minister voted for the more drastic proposal last year, but he voted nay this year. By' actual count 40 Liberal mpmbers, including the Premier and six other members of his Cabinet, who supported Mr. MacMaoter last year, voted against him this year. .The Great Corporations. The explanation is Sir Lcmer Gouin, Mr. King s Minister .for Justice, who as far as directorships go is the outstanding corparationist in ■ the country. One directorate, that of the Cockshutt Plough Company, a comparatively, small corporation, ho resigned on assuming Cabinet rank. ( He also retired from the board of La Presse, the largest French-Cana-dian newspaper. But he still remains a director of seven of the largest corporations. Mr. Mac Master did not mention any corporationist by name? but h$ had prepared a chart illustrating the control of 16 of the largest corporations in Canada. By means of interlocking directorates 15 men hold 57 directorships in these 16 corporations. A number of these men were on four or more boards, - and two were on 6even. Together the. 16 corporations Hold assets totalling. 4,295,000,000 dollars, an amount practically double the entire national debt of Canada, and through the interlocking directorates* controlled by a handful of men. Another Election Suggested.

Another line of cleavage m the Liberal ranks was revealed by the militia estimates These included a small sum for summer training camps, which FrenchCanadian Liberals immediately attacked as waste. They were supported by the Farmers' .farty. Again, as in the case of the resolution on directors, it was the Conservative Opposition that saved the Government from a pit dug by its own supporters and progressive allies. Instead of the alliance being one between Liberals and Progressives against Conservatives, as planned by Mr. Meighen, it' was the Liberals aad Conservatives who on these if v)Vß lined up against the Prograssives, although the cleavage on the militia ifV'9 was not quite as simple as that. Evidently the fog wnxh settled on Canadian affairs with the birth of the new Farmers' Party was not yet lifted. '

(Some of the Liberals, to whom alliance with Progressives and dependence on Ccntervative favour are equally distasteful, are chafing impatiently for a return of the good o.d days whon a Government was a Government and could do as it liked. They arc advocating another election. According to their reasoning the Farmers' movement has passed its crest and the Conservative Party is still taking the count from last December's knockout. The Liberals, they think, with the prestige of Government behind thi'to, would be sure to draw supporters frpm both their opponents sufficient to give them a substantial majority over all. -*