BRITISH POLITICS

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12507, 21 May 1906, Page 7

BRITISH POLITICS

THE HOUSE OF LORDS AND THE ALIEN.

HOSTILE MOTION IN THE LOWER HOUSE.

INDIGNATION OF LABOUR MEMBEiJS. United Ptohs Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. . LONDON, May 18. ; The House of Lords arrived at its decision regarding the Labour Party's Bill concerning the importation of alien labour whilo the House of Commons was voting the money tor the up-keep of tfoo House of liordfi. Indignant i Labour mem bens by way of protest, at j once moved a reduction of the vote, ] proposing to cancel the cost that had , not been dealt with under the vote. j So maiy of the now members supported the amendment that the defeat of the Government might conceivably have been engineered. Mr Lewis Harcouxt eventually secured the withdrawal of the amendment. Mr Keir Hardie, epeaking on the motion and amendment, blamed the Government for not accepting Lord Lansdowno's offer in the House of Lords in connection with the Bill, * and asked how long the Government intended to countenance the existence of the House of Lords. The incident, ho said, raised the wholo question of whether the democracy was a reality or a show. Mr G. Whitlay, in the absence of ' the Liberal Loaders, referred to the rejection of the Bill as a regrettable incident, hut it was an unofficial member's Bill and there was no reason why the Government should assume chargo of it

"The Times," commenting on tho matter, says the workers have more to fear from tho steady influx of aliens in ordinary circumstsuicos than of tho temporary (importation of foreigners in

times of emergency. The Government have deliberately weakened tho operation of tho Aliens Act. [Lord Lansdowne, speaking on tho Bill in the debate in tho House of Lords, t\aid tliflt if tho Government would assume responsibility for tho Bill, and would see it amended and made workable in Committee, ho would support the second reading.]