CANADIAN ELECTION CAMPAIGN OPENS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17905, 22 July 1926, Page 15

CANADIAN ELECTION CAMPAIGN OPENS.

By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. Keuter's Telegrams. OTTAWA, July 20. Mr Arthur Meighen, the Prime Minister, opened the Conservative campaign on Tuesday evening. Referring to the revelations of the Customs Investigation Committee, the Prime Minister asked whether a Government which was responsible “for the utter collrpse of a great Department of State” should get “a certificate of character and be declared by the electors of Canada the kind oi Government the people want.” Therefore, it was natural, he said, that Mr Mackenzie King should choose another issue, the so-called constitutional issue. He said: “As a matter of truth, there is no constitutional issue. Never in the history of Parliamentary Government, as we have it to-day, has any Prime Minister ever demeaned himself to ask for a dissolution while a vote of censure was under debate.” He said he did not plead the cause of Parliament, but to prevent Parliament expressing the will of the ex-Prime Minister he asked for a dissolution M; Meighen declared that his intention. if elected,"-‘was to restore definitely the principle of a protective tariff and lay the basis of a vigorous immigration policy. “In order to avoid misunderstanding concerning the relations between the Governments of Great Britain and Canada in respect to the constitutional issue which has arisen in Canada,” exPrime Minister Mr King published yes terday, with the permission of Mr Baldwin and the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, Mr Amery, the correspondence with these officials after his resignation Mr Mackenzie King points to the mutual assurances of good will contained in correspondence as an effective answer to those endeavouring to “ involve the constitutional question with an alleged lack of good will and co-operation between the late Liberal Administration in Canada and the Government of Mr Baldwin in Britain.”