NOISY SCENES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 13063, 1 May 1913, Page 7

NOISY SCENES.

— .«. 'IN THE BRITISH HOUSE OF COMMONS. LONDON, March 27. A series of exciting scenes occurred m the House of Commons yesterday. The Opposition members had laid elaborate secret plans to take a snap division at 4 o'clock on the Consolidated Fund Bill m the hope of defeating the Government by' surprise. They cnose the occasoin because at this stage, the Consolidated Fund Bill is always treated as purely: formal; and they presumed that the Government would not have its supporters on^ hand. However, sus-j picion was excited on the Government benches by the sudden crowding m of! opposition members from their nearby hiding places, and so when a division \ was challenged, a Ministerialist jumped up and proceeded to discuss the Sill j m order to give the Government whips | time to get their men into the ; v House. He was followed by others, despite per- j sistent interruptions by- the , opposition. At the end of thirty minutes the Government allowed a division to be taken and got a majority of 39. OBSTRUCTION OF BUSINESS. Exasperated by the jeers and taunts of the Ministerialists at the failure of the plot, the opposition became noisy, disorderly and determined to obstruct all business for t/he evening. The disorder lasted for nearly four hours. One Ulster Orangeman named Moore charged the Government with "disgraceful trickery" m foiling the opposition plot to snatch a division. On his refusal to withdraw those words he was suspended by a vote of the House. His colleagues had arranged to follow his example, but their courage failed, so they vented their rage m yelling insulting epithets at the Government. There were cries of "Marconi," "scoundrels," "•hirelings," and similar expressions. Shortly after this Donald McNeil complained that Sir A. Markham, Liberal member for the pottery district, had called the opposition & "hothouse crowd." There was more excitement over this, and Chairman Whiteley^ called on Sir A. Markham to withdraw his remarks. He refused to 'do so and was suspended for a day. THE GOVERNMENT'S RENT. To intensify their chagrin, the Tories learned that if they had succeeded m getting a division at 4 o'clock they would have beaten the Government by five votes. This need not necessarily have been fatal to the Cabinet, but it would have placed the Ministers m a, perilous position, especially m view of the shaking the Marconi affair has given them. ' . Replying to Major, Archer Shee, Mr Asquith stated that Attorney-General Isaacs informed 'him last July of his deal m American Marconi Company stocky and also that some of those shares had been transferred to Chancellor pf the Exchequer Libyd George and the Master of Elibank. A ; Being asked why he did not so inform the House when Sir Rufus Isaacs denied having an interest m "Any Marconi shares,'" Mr Asquith declared that the transaction seemed so remote from the scandalous charges m circulation that ho attached no importance to it. Thus the opposition has established that the Prime Minister knew, when Isaacs uttered his sweeping denial on October 1, that he was not making a complete disclosure. ' Mr Lloyd George will be examined j before the Marconi committee. It will jbe the severest ordeal of This career. There is a strong opinion that however j innocent his action, it is unbecoming m the ;< Chancellor of tie Exchequer to speculate m any shares.