BRITISH POLITICS.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 63, 16 March 1910, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

LORD MOTIONS Press. Assn—By telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, March 15. The debate on Lord Rosebery's motion for reform of the House of Lords has commenced. The House was thronged, the Prince and Princess of Wales being~among those present. Lord Rosebery, in moving that the House go into committee on the motion, contended that it was hopeless to imagine that the Government veto resolutions, if passed in 1910, would be followed by reform in 1911. The Liberals would say to Mr Asquith: "We recognise your good intention, but do not mean to have anything to ,do with that. You deprived the Lords of its privilege and power in a.single session of Parliament. What more <do we want?" Mr Asqiuth's proposal resembled the hamstringing of a valuable horse, and then entering him for the Derby. Lord Rosebery concluded with a closely reasoned and earnest speech against the Government's proposal tor complete domination by the House -of Commons, by setting up a sham and impotent second Chamber, mentioning the lesson of the French revolution, and the danger of withholding concessions until too late. He was convinced that thf House would /ise to the height 0 this great occasion, and earn the gratitude of unborn generations. Viscount Morley urged the House to wait and hear the Government's proposals. . Lord Rosebery had failed to touch the emergency confronting them. What was needed was effective means of settling the differences (between the two Houses. Lord Northcote approved the motions, but the details required careful -examination. The debate was adjourned.

SPEECH BY SIR EDWARD GREY. (Received March 16, 8.50 a.m.) LONDON, March 15. Sir Edward Grey, in a speech at a Liberal banquet in tlie city, said that ■if reform of the Lords was left to the other side, the Liberals were courting disaster, death, and damnation. The solution of the difficulty would be an -elective Chamber., elected" not necessarily simultaneously with the Commons, and not over the same area. The Government would re-impose the Budget taxes. By that they would stand or fall. (Received March 16, 8.45 a.m.) LONDON, March 15. During his speech in the House of Lords, Lord Rosebery referred to Sir George Reid, High Commissioner for Australia, as a man of infinite ability, and geniality. No better choice for the position could possibly have been made. He asked how could Sir George Reid possibly justify to the Australians the abolition of the second Chamber in Great Britain when Australia, took care to secure a strong and efficient Senate upon the institution of. Federation in 1900? The colonies, he added, had always taken care to secure a strong second Chamber. There is much comment in the newspapers on Lord Rosebery's statement that he .deprecated the. election of Peers by popular vote. This, he said, would only give a feeble understudy of the House of Commons, and multiply the horrors of a general election, but the Lords would derive dignity by association with corporations and county councils formed into elective godies upon the French basis, and representation provided in this way .should form no inconsiderable proportion of the Upper House.