The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 1930. CANADIAN ELECTIONS.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 August 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 1930. CANADIAN ELECTIONS.

The Canadian Elections proved decisive and gave a single party absolute power. This has been an unusual circumstance since the upheaval of the war period, as political parties in most countries have been well divided with the result that to maintain office, there has been an unusual amount of bargaining and compromise, bearing out the old i adage tnat politics bring strange bed-fellows. In the case of Canada, the result has an Empire as well as a National aspect, and this Dominion promises to be interested commercially in the immediate effect of the political changes about to take place in the management of Canadian affairs. Premier King, who is being ousted from office in no uncertain manner by his opponents, led the Liberals who favoured ail Imperial policy and gave special preference to Britain. The election was fought out in the main on customs’ duties, and the late tariff j adjustments by the Liberals, who made I no excuse for the pro-imperial trend ; of the policy pursued. 11l the short session before the present elections, the Liberal Budget went through. The Minister of Finance was Mr O. A. Dunning who is among the defeated . at this week’s polling. In the statement presented to Parliament, it provided for some of the most far reaching and radical adjustments ever pro- ; seated in a. Canadian Budget, with avowed object of displacing other goods with British on the Canadian market whei"ver possible. Conservatives, in tlieir frank criticism, declared that it was dictated by political expediency on the eve of a, General Election. Finance Minister Dunning, in explaining the motives for the changes, stated that, as a great exporting nation, Canada must follow the course of facilitating

mu]o with those who facilitate trade

with the country. Tho're who raise prohibitive barriers against Canadian products entering their markets must expect that Canada will extend favour, to their own customers rather than to them The implication of retaliatory measures against the United States had been raised, but on this point Mr Dunning said: “It has been decided to embody wimin the wording of a limited number of articles provision for a ‘countervailing duty’ whereby Canada, while not generally raising its schedule rates, imposes upon such products from another country rates equivalent to those imposed by that country upon the identical Canadian product where these are higher than the rates enumerated by the Canadian tariff schedules. This means that other countries which both buy from and sell to us these commoditeis, have it in their own power, by reciprocal action on their part, to enable us to reduce duties to the level cf the rates stated in our tariff.” The Premier was equally cordial in the support of the fiscal policy, which carried with it imnortant preferences to Australian and New Zealand commodities. In particular, the tariff had been helpful to produce from this Dominion, and the Canadian market had been of great assistance in absorbing large quantities of New Zealand butter, at a time when the British market was clogged. This trade went mainly from the North Island which has the benefit of direct steamer service from Auckland to Vancouver, This very important volume of trade is now in great jeopardy. Th</ Premier-elect—Mr R. B. Bennett, the loader of the Conservative Party— j was at the time of the presentation of the late tariff adjustments, warm in his criticism of the sweeping amendments made in favour of British imports. The duty against the British Empire was lowered on 270 items, and increased on only eleven. Of 1188 items now included in the Canadian customs tariff schedules, 589 are free ,

under the British ' preference. Mr Bennett, however, was very definite in his expressed opposition. He declared that “that nia.n is the best Britisher who loves. Canada most, and any legislation that subordinates this country, either constitutionally or economically, to any other country, whether it be within or without the British Empire, is bad legislation.” Canada will now be under the Government of the party led by Mr Bennett, and he in pursuance of his policy will doubtless readjust the fiscal proposals. But Canada has its depression trouble, ‘ and monev must be found to carry on smoothily. The tariff was evidently a fruitful battle ground for the victors, but some glimpse of the nnti-Tmperial sentiment was to be seen also in the newspaper canard on the eve of the election pitting the country against British interests in relation to Egyptian affairs. Now that the heat of the election is passing, the air will clear, and the Canadians will have time ,to take stock of their affairs and where they stand, while Mr Bennett in the near future must repair to the Imperial Conference in London.