THE BILL PASSED.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 8445, 12 August 1911, Page 5

THE BILL PASSED.

PEERS AT LOGGERHEADS

SCENES IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS. ,

Per Press Association—Copyright,

LONDON, August 11. The. Diplomatic Gallery of the House of Lords and the Chamber itself were crowded during tlie debate > whether the House should adhere to its amendments in the Parliament Bill.

Viscount Morley ridiculed the proposal that the Government in Novenber should have suggested to the King that he should s>ee the Opposition leaders. • !

Replying to Lord St: Aldwyn, Lord Morley said that the .Sovereign had "communication with' Mr Balfour and the' Marquis of; Larisdowne the other, day, but lie was unable to say whether the same opportunity, was given in November. The Marquis of Lansdowne interject , ed: "No such opportunity was'given." The Earl of Cainpe'rdqwn announced that he would .support the Government, though ho detested" the .Bill. The Duke of Norfolk immediately declared that despite; his.'.promise-to the Marquis of Lansdowne, he would vote with Lord Halsbury in order to cancel Lord Camperdown's vote. The Viscount of Halifax declared similarly. •■/ v J .■..'■, i The Archbishop of Canterbury said that he had hoped to abstain fronl voting, but the callousness and levity with which some" peers ■•contemplated the creation of five hundred peers, which would make the House and the country ihe laughing-stock of the Dominions overseas, caused him to ' sup-, port the Government. „ !: ,-

The Earl of Rosebery hotly denounced the Government's behaviour towards a young and inexperienced King, only four or five months on the throne, but the Bill must pass. It would leave the House. some force to ; resist the Government's dangerous measures. He would vote for the Bill, ; hoping that the Empire would be spared a scandal, which would Aveakeh the hold ©f, the centre of the Empire upon ;the component. parts. ■''■".' ; The Earl of Selborne, in closing the debate, made»a vehement denunciation of Lord Rosebery's attitude: ; He quoted Lord Rosebery's speech of May 29, to the effect that it was useless to prolong the existefte of a sham. Lord Selborne continued f' v That is my view. The country is safer with a recognised single chamber system than with the proposed emasculatea 'House' of Lords." He agreed with the other amendments of the House of Commons.

There was intense excitement when the . question was put as to whether the House agreed - with Lord Morley's motion that" it should not insist on . Lord ', LansdoWne'.^ amei'dmiont excluding Home Rule from the scope of the Bill. The Ministerialists cried ''Content/ and the Halsburyites gave a ringing chorus or ■'Non content."

Many Unionists, with a few others, joined Cabinet Ministers and Privy Councillor* behind the throne'to watch the division. The opposing forces seemed equal, the Halsburyites, if anything, more numerous. Eleven bishops accompanied the Archbishops of Canterbury and York into the Government lobby. Seeing iMe danger, rhirty Unionists at the last moment joined the Ministerialists.

There was profound silence when Lord Loreburn"announced the result:— .For the motion ... ..... 131 Against the motion ... 114

The announcement was greeted with a few Ministerial cheers and Opposition hisses. ; . .