OBITUARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21716, 3 February 1934, Page 11

OBITUARY

MR. ROBERT FORKE CANADIAN STATESMAN (Received February 2, 10.35 p.m.) WINNIPEG, Feb. 1 The death is announced of _ Mr. Robert Forke, formerly leader of the Progressive Party and Minister of Immigration and Colonisation in the Liberal Government. The late Mr. Robert Forke was, born in 1860, in Berwickshire, Scotland, I where his father was a farmer. He worked on the farm until he was 12. Then, having heard of the wonderful fertility of the prairie lands of Manitoba, he emigrated to Canada, where lie secured a free homestead on the banks of the Pipestone Creek. He gradually extended his original holding and in 1927 it embraced 1280 acres. From his earliest days Mr. Forke found time to take an active interest in local administration, lie was ono of the first Liberals in Manitoba to break with Sir W. Laurier on the conscription issue and he strongly supported the formation of a coalition Ministry in 1917. When it fell four years later, Mr. Forke joined the new Progressive Party and at the general election in 1921 was returned in its interest as member for Brandon, becoming leader of tho group, which gave expression to the discontent of the Western graingrowing provinces. ] Mr. Forke's party lieid the balance of power in Canadian politics and beforo the general election of 1926 lie joined forces with the Liberal Party under Mr. W. L. Mackenzie King. The result was a Liberal-Progressive sweep of the whole of the West and M_r. Forke was appointed Minister of Immigration and Colonisation in the new Cabinet. One of his aims was to increase the number of British settlers and he visited England in the late spring of 1927 to confer' with the Overseas Settlement Board about fresh schemds to stimulate the transference of Britain's surplus population to Canada. At tho time of his death he was a member of the Canadian Senate.