IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 12884, 6 August 1906, Page 6

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. THE EDUCATION BILL. THE LORDS CARRY THE SECOND READING. DRASTIC AMENDMENTS WANTED. LONDON, August 4. During the discussion of the Education Bill in the House of Lords the Duke of Devonshire said that the Bill was unreasonable and intolerable. It would force the Cowper-Temple principle of undenominational teaching upon all Protestants when objections by Roman Catholics and Jews were recognised. Unless real facilities were given for denominational teaching iu the transferred schools it would be better to try to place all the provided schools on the same footing as regards a religious teaching, as a departure from this principle would cause a violent and unnecessary disturbance in the schools which were already doing good work. Unless satisfaction war given the House of Lords might : be-compelled to give a momentqas decision, involving teri.ous consequences. The Rev. Dr Ingram (Bishop of London) objected to the Bible being edited by the County Council. The Lord Chancellor warned the House that the rejection of an.horest attempt to solve the religious dnfficufty might lead to the introduction of secularism. Lord Lar.sdowne insisted upon the necessity of drastic amendments. The Bill was read a second time without a division. TRADES DISPUTES BILL. THE PICKET QUESTION. OPPOSITION SAVE THE GOVERNMENT. LONDON,'August 4. During a discussion in the commit Lee stage of the Trades Disputes Bill, on the clause allowing peaceable and reasonable picketing, Sir Charles D.'lke moved to add that attendance for the purpose of picketing should not .be held a; a nuisance. The Government resented the amendment on the ground that it was unnecessary. The amendment was negatived by 127 votes to 122. Mr Balfour and about a score of Unionists saved the Government from defeat by voting with the majority. The House a.grecd to Sir J. Walton's (the Attorney-General) newest version of clause 4 of the Bill, which iv now bilateral, and covers both workmen's and employers' unions. No action can be brought against unions, but the clause does not repeal section 9 of the Act of 1871. under which the trustees of unions and their funds are liable for certain acts therein specified. Sir Edward Carson (ex-Solicrtor-General) declared that the clause was farcical. It he said, have been better to have said : " The King can do no wrong ; neither can a trades union." At a later stage Lord Robert Cecil protested against the Government breaking their promise not to prolong the debate. Sir H. Campbell-Baiuierinau denied making any • promise. Mr Balfour and all the Unionists then left the House. [Sir J L. Walton, when introducing his trades Disputes Bill on behalf of the Government on March 28. said that the present law as to picketing was impracticable, if not absurd, and the Bill would enact m express terms the right to persuade peacefully thereby reviving a law dating from. 1859. His intentions in regard to the immunity of trades union funds gave great dissatisfaction to Liberal and Labor members. The latter declared that they asked for no special privileges; they merely wanted to be put on the same footing as employers. Mr Brace, who is the vicepresident of the South Wales Miners' Federation, in the course of his speech in answer to the Minister, affirmed that all that trade unionists wanted was equality with the masters. "They asked for no "special privileges. There was, he said, a strike then in progress in South Wales, and the miners had offered to go to arbitration, but without success. The men on 6trike could not get work elsewhere, because as soon as it became known that they had come from the foene of the strike employers refused to engage them. That pointed to a conspiracy among the colliery owners. Trade unions should be replaced in the position they were in before the Taff Vale decision. The Bill of the Government was certainly not satisfactory in all respects. If an individual trade unionist did wrong, let him be punished ; but innocent parties who contributed to the union funds ought not to suffer.] THE AUTUMN SESSION. LONDON, August 5. (Received August 6, at 10.3 a.m.) Parliament reassembles on the 23rd of October.