TRADE UNION BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 114, 17 May 1927, Page 7

TRADE UNION BILL.

Labour Makes Scene and Walks Out. CLYNES' HEATED SPEECH. (Received 1 p.m.) LONDON, May 16. Mr. Baldwin, in moving the guillotine resolution on the Trade Union Bill, said that if the present rate of progress was maintained, and the House sat continuously and no other business was transacted, they might hope to pass clause one by the beginning of August. The Government's action was in accord with precedent. Mr. J. R. Clynes (Lab., Manchester), who was greeted with a storm of Labour cheers, said Mr. Baldwin's speech was one of unexampled audacity. The Government was going even further than he had thought likely in its destruction of constitutional practices. "Whatever the class we draw from we are at least His Majesty's Opposition, and claim for that opposition Parliamentary traditional rights, which, until recently, had been observed." Mr. Clynes added, heatedly: "It is a grave abuse of the power of the Government's numbers. It will reduce Parliamentary business to a mockery. We shall not be party to it. We shall not sit here to participate in a Parliamentary farce." • He resumed his seat and instantly rose. The entire Labour front bench then rose, and amid hubbub, walked out. ' When the Labourites were out of the Chamber Mr. Lloyd George said he deeply regretted the scene. He had witnessed many scenes in the House of Commons, but they seldom did any good. He hoped sooner or later they would find a less barbarous way of dealing with such a situation than the guillotine.

After this the motion was carried by 259 votes to 14 and the House rose.