328 THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNMENT [part TI
rigidly followed in Australia or even in Canada. Tt is recog-
nized that with a small House and with Colonial conditions
of independence it is not a serious matter to be defeated in
some matter not of the very first-rate importance. Thus in
the tariff debates of 1907-8 the Government of Mr. Deakin
was on several occasions defeated in the Lower House without
in any way being compelled to resign its position, even after
the Minister of Trade and Customs had declared certain of
the amendments of vital importance ; apparently the party
understood that the Treasurer was only bluffing, for they
did not obey his hints to vote solid. Even the Labour
Ministry of 1910 suffered without resigning a defeat on the
question of eligibility for entrance to the military college.
On the other hand a Ministry may be disposed to insist on
having the full confidence of the party ; thus in 1909, when
the vote for a special payment to Mr. Pember Reeves, late
High Commissioner, on account of his services as financial
adviser to the Government, was placed before the Lower
House in New Zealand and was rejected, the Prime Minister
lost no time in calling together a meeting of his followers and
insisting that they should rescind the vote, which they did,
but they felt no doubt that they had achieved their purpose
by inducing the officer in question to give up the position of
financial adviser in London.: In all the Australian states and
in New Zealand and in the Canadian provinces there have
been cases of ministries which cling to office despite repeated
defeats, or defeats averted only by casting votes of the
Speaker ; for example, Sir George Grey’s Ministry in New
Zealand probably, as Lord N ormanby remarked in a dispatch
in 1878, never commanded a majority in the Lower House
at all. Mr. Joly’s Ministry in Quebec lasted from 1878 to
1879 on the most insecure basis, with practically no support
in the Lower House and with a decided majority against it
in the Upper House.? The Ministry in British Columbia in
1899-1900 was helpless, and was defeated on several occasions,
but would not resign until the Lieutenant-Governor decided
" New Zealand Parl. Pap., 1878, A. 1, p. 3.
Parl. Pap., C. 2445.
