HOUSE OF LORDS REFORM

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 307, 21 September 1908, Page 7

HOUSE OF LORDS REFORM

ROSEBERY COMMITTEE. REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE COMMONS. (BY TELEGBAPH—PEESS ASSOCIATION—COFTBIGHT.) (Rec, September 20,' 4.30 p.m.) ' London, September 19. Tho "Daily Express" states that the majority of Lord llosebery's committee recommend that the House of Lords be popularised by tho election of representative Commoners sitting during a Parliament and eligible, for re-election. THE HEREDITARY ELEMENT. SOME .PROPOSALS TO REDUCE IT. Lord Rosebery's. Committee is v a Select Committee of the House of Lords, twenty-five in number, of which Lord Rosebery is chairman. To it was referred the Reform Bill introduced last session by Lord Newton,-and the whole question of House of Lords Reform was before the Committee. .Lord Newton's Bill was based largely on. the principle of reducing the representation of hereditary peers, and to strengthen the House of Lords by appointing prominent public men as life peers. The above cablegram introduces something still briefer—tho peer of one Parliament who shall, however, bo eligible for re-election. Docs the " Express" moans that a majority of the members of this House of Lords Committee aro prepared to admit into their Chamber during the life-time of each Parliament, representative members of the House of C9mmons elected by tho House of Commons? This wonld be a sort of secondary representation of tho public, through their directly-elected members of tho Commons, ltow many such Commonors are proposed to be admitted, or what proportion to tho whole, is not stated. Under Lord Newton's Bull the number of life peers was not to exceed 100. DETAILS OF 'LORD'' NEWTON'S" SCHEME. One of the 'main objects of Lord Newton's Bill was,' as stated, to reduce the preponderance of the.hereditary element in the House of Lords For this purpose he proposed to enact that tho possession of a peerage by descent shall not of itself give any to a seat in the House, and that a peer entitled by descont shall havo a right to sit only if ho possesses certain snecified qualifications, or if he is elected as a representative peer under the Bill. The representative peers would be elected for a Parliament, and not for life. Lord Newton proposed: To give to the Crown the power to appoint life peers to a number not exceeding 100. , To effect a rcduetipn in tho number of bishops sitting in tlie Hou*o, proportionate to the reduction proposed in the case of tho hereditary peers. To assimilate the system of electing Scotch and Irish representative peers to the system proposed by tho Bill for tho peerage of England. To enable any hereditary peer who does not desire to bccome a representative peer, or to sit in the House of Lords as a qualified peor, to stand as a candidate for election to tho House of Commons.,i LIBERAL GOVERNMENT'S SCHEME. The conference' proposals of tho late Primo Minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman-which gave tlio House of Lords controversy an impetus which, in the opinion of some critics, wifl not be sustained by Mr. Asquith— may bo summed up as follows:— First Conference. (1) In case of disagreement between tho two Houses, a conference to take place between an equal number of nominated representatives of Lords and Commons. (2) Tho conference will be " of small dimensions "—probably twelve Commoners and twelve Peers. It will sit in private, and its object will be to seek for a " common measure of. agretment." If a compromise is reached, tlie particular Bill that is the subject of tho conference will be saved. ■ (3) In the event of continuous disagreement, tho Bill m question would be doomed—for a season. But it is proposed that tho same i Bill may bo reintroduced at tho discretion of tho Government "after a substantial intc.val"—by which is meant a minimum period of Efix months. Second Conference. (1) The reintroduced Bill would bo passed through tho House of Commons rapidly " under limitations of time adapted to tho requirements of the case." It would then go to the Lords, who would have a fresh opportunity of considering it. (2) bhould the Lords , be still rocalcitrant, there will be a second conference between nominated delegates from tho two Houses. (3) In tho event of the second conference proving abortive, tho Bill will be reintroduced into the Houso of Commons a third time' and " passed swiftly" through all its stages in the form last agreed upon. (•1) After this it will bo sent to tlie Lords with the intimation that unless passed in that form it will bo carried into law "over thoir heads"—that is, it would become law by virtue of the Crown and Commons acting in conjunction, and without the assent of tho Peers. Third Conference. (1) To avert the necessity for resorting to this course, there will be opportunity for a third conference, and only on its failure will tho measure pass without the concurrence of the Peers. © "To prevent arbitrary action by an. effete Government," it is proposed to shorten the duration of Parliaments, making their term of life five years instoad of seven years.