Effects of the General Election: Narrow Majority for New Government:
The Isolation of Quebec:
Bitter Comment by the Press: Lady Member and her Knitting From Our Own Correspondent.
Kingston, Out., Dec. 31.
Your cable news has told you that the result of the general election held here turned out to be what was generally expected in one respect, that not one of the three parties secured sufficient votes to give it a working majority in the House over the other two combined.. The Liberals obtained 118 seats, the Progressives 65, the Conservatives 50, and Labour 2, The Premier, the Right Hon. Arthur Meighen, with several of his Ministers, lost their seats, but his party which will be called for shortness the Conservative, the full name being the National Liberal and Conservative, did not meet with that utter defeat which its opponents had been freely predicting. The figures given show that the Liberals possess a majority of only three over the other two parties combined, and this gave the Governor-General the right to call upon them to form a Government, so he called upon the Hon. L. Mackenzie King to do so.
This has delayed somewhat the despatch of my letter as the process of forming the Cabinet took some time and you would want to hear of the interesting particulars of its; formation. They are interesting because they show the political undercurrents which will affect the future of the Government dnd the country.
Or axp Water.
During the election campaign Mr. King made a very special appeal for a majority for the Liberals which would enable them to do} away with any idea of having to; coalesce with another party im order to form a stable government, and he spoke most strongly against! group governments and coalitions. But faced with a majority of only three, he opened negotiations with the Hon. T. A. Crerar, the leader of the Progressives, with a view of his entering the Cabinet, with two or three members of his party, and according to accounts made, offers of altering his policies most considerably in order to meet their views.
It was rather like trying to mix oil and water. Briefly and generally put the Liberals stand for Protection and the private ownership of railways, at least that is the policy of the French Canadians, and out of the 118 Liberals they form a "solid block" of 65, not a member of any other party being returned in the Province of Quebec. It can be readily seen what influence they will be able to bring to bear upon Mr. King: and further it must be remembered that he owes his position as leader to them as they supported him, because he opposed conscription. There is some reason to believe that Mr.
Crerar was not averse to accepting Mr. King's offers, but his party was not.
Mr. King had also to consult Premier Drury of Ontario, the leader on the East of the United Farmers' Organization, Mr. Crerar being the leader of the Progressives, or the farmers, in the West. The farmers in both East and West declined.any coalition. All this dickering did not please the Quebec Liberals, and some very strong language was used by them concerning it, more particularly as their policy as stated, was protection, while that of the Progressives is immediate and substantial tariff reduction with free trade with Great Brita within five years, and the public ownlerniip of railways,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.