LAURIER'S REVERSE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 83, 28 September 1911, Page 2

LAURIER'S REVERSE.

RBOll'R! >I!TY QUESTION'. SOME LIGHT ON CANADIAN POLITICS. SJR JOHN KIXDLAY'S VIEWS. Auckland, September 2."). Tlic rout of the Canadian Government ;it the poll last, week was "the subject of an interesting interview which a press representative this morning oh- . tained from Sir .lolin Findlay, who is at present on a visit to Auckland. Sir John said that lie landed in Canada on April '1 of this year and spent some little time in Victoria and afterwards at Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. At all these centres he met, representative men in public life, and at many of the gatherings which he attended, in company with Sir .loscph Ward, thev had the. privilege of listening to speeches from different party points of view. Subsequently, in London, they sat at the Conference with Sir Wilfrid Laurier and his colleagues. As the result of the observations he was able to make. Sir John believed there was a strong feeling of resentment growing, particularly in Western Canada, against the adoption of the Reciprocity Treaty. This turned upon two distinct grounds. First, the people recalled with some bitterness the effects of an earlier reciprocity arrangement I made some years ago between the "States ! and Canada, in which the producers and manufacturers were induced to develop their businesses along certain lines, only to find a few years later that the States terminated the agreement when it suited them. Tn April last, while Sir John was in the Dominion, the Canadians were freely using it as an argument against I the new treaty, that America would rej peat the happening of earlier years I should it suit them to do so. The second and broader ground, said Sir John, was the contention that commercial reciprocity with America would inevitably lead either to a political union with America or to a wide separation between Canada and the Mother Land. Admittedly strong arguments were advanced to refute both these views, but one could not help feeling that this belief was growing in strength and area, and results to hand now show that it

apparently dominated the election last week. Moreover, it was impossible to escape the conclusion that Sir Wilfrid | Laurier's Imperialism had undergone some change. Sir .lohn met Sir Wilfrid ; Laurier nine years ago in Ontario and London, and heard him speak in Iwith places again this year. In our own great Empire metropolis he heard the Canadian Prime Minister, and at last came to the elear conclusion that Sir Wilfrid desired to maintain an attitude of detachment, from proposals for closer association between the overseas dominions and the .Mother Land. The statute recently passed providing for the creation of n Canadian navy especially stipulated that the navy must not take part in any Imperial war without the consent of Canada. Sir Wilfrid declared, while in London, that Canada would hold herself free to consider herself at peace should she not approve of any Imperial struggle on which Great Britain had entered. This - , among other things, created amongst Canadian public men visiting England Mime feeling of alarm and some determination to- oppose Sir Wilfrid Lamier at the elections which have just terminated. Sir John's imf'pression was that, if the statesmen of Circat Britain' would take the present opportunity by the hand, there was a

splendid chance now for closely-organised unity between the Vnited Kingdom and the great Dominion of Canada. If such organised unity could be brought about it, would, he thought, lead to Imperial federation along the lines Sir Joseph Ward had suggested at the recent Conference in London. He had met the Premiers of several of the Canadian provinces along his recent tour, and found that they enthusiastically welcomed the proposal for a true Imperial system, whereby not only the drift towards separation which had been going on in Canada would be arrested, but true Imperial solidity would be established. "\n my opinion." said Sir .lohn Findlay, "the defeat, of the Laurier Coverniuent was mainly due io the dwindling and weakening Imperialism of the party in power. I believe that Canada, like New Zealand, is anxious to maintain a union of Empire, and. if one thing distinguished the Prime Minister of New Zealand' from the Prime .Minister of Canada at the recent Conference, it- was the contrast on the question of unity displayed by these two lenders. If. then, the Canadian elections have any lesson for this country, it is this: That the public men and the party which stands staunchest for Imperial unity will receive the most

widespread support of the people. If this test is applied to N'ew Zealand we need have no doubt as to where Sir Joseph Ward ami his party will be after I lie next, election. This matter has been engaging my very closest attention, and I am publishing a book in London during the next few weeks upon the history and probable outcome of recent Imperialism."