HOUSE OF COMMONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 December 1929, Page 7

HOUSE OF COMMONS

GOVT. NEARLY DEFEATED LABOURITES REVOLT (By Cable —Press Assn. —Copyright.) LONDON, December 3. There was much excitement during the Committee stage of the Unemployed Insurance Bill in the House oi Commons, when the closure was moved by Miss Bondfield (Minister of Labour). The motion was carried by only 13 votes, the voting being 209 for' and 196 against. Nine Left Wing Labourites voted against the Government.' The Liberals did not vote, though Mr Baldwin and other Conservatives tried to persuade them to do so. The debate was adjourned. LONDON TRANSPORT CONTROL LONDON, December 2. In the House of Commons, Mr Morrison announced that the Government has decided as a substitute for the Traffic Bill, which was rejected on July 18 last, a far-reaching bill unifying all of the transport undertakings in the London area under tsingle control. . . He said that, without the elimination of the present wasteful competition, there could not be sufficient revenue from the present fares to meet the expenses, and develop the . traffic facilities. The present complication of. the private and municipal interests had added to the difficulties of the situation. It was proposed to explore, with the interests concerned, for fair and equitable terms for the consolidation of all of the omnibus, tramways, and underground railway services under piublic ownership,with unified commercial management. , Everybody concerned in London s transport, as well as the newspapers, are franklv astounded at Mr Moinson’s statement. The magnitude oi the issue is shown by the fact that more than a hundred millions of capital is involved in London’s railways, tubes, trams and buses. The “Daily Telegraph’s Parliamentary editor says: “It is quite certain that nakedly Socialistic proposals, such as this appears to be, will never be accepted by this Parliament. The Government will be prepared lor a further explanation.”

DOMINIONS’ DECISIONS.

LONDON, December 3

Sir Austen Chamberlain sought a ruling in the House of .Commons as to how far the House could discuss the Irish Free State’s decision not to permit appeals in future to the Pi ivy Council. .. The Speaker said that questions could not be asked concerning matters which have been delegated to the Dominions’ Parliaments and Colonial Assemblies, but when action was taken, outside the scope of the delegated powers, affecting the interests of Britain, or the Dominions’ or the Colonies’ contractual relations toward Britain, he could not rule that it should not be debated in the House of Commons. LAND OWNERSHIP. LONDON, December 3. Mr. Noel Buxton, in the House of Commons, in answer to a question, said that the Government had no present intention of legislating on questions concerning the transference of land to public ownership, security of tenure for efficient farmers, or the provision of credit on z easy terms. BRITAIN AND RUSSIA. LONDON, December 2. In the House of Commons, Mr. A. Henderson, told a questioner that the exchange of Ambassadors with the Soviet will take place within a few days.

WIDOWS’ PENSIONS BILL. LONDON, December 3. , In the House of Lords, twenty amendments were tabled in Committee on the Widows, Orphans and Old Age Contributory Pensions Bill. Lord Onslow moved that the widows’ pension be limited to necessitous cases. Lord Buckmaster supported this amendment. He said that, there was no reason why every woman should become a charge on the State, because she was widowed. Even this amendment, he said, would not go far to stay the flood of extravagance under which the country would soon be submerged, and which would be accompanied by a multiplication of Government Departments, which was to be feared more than the multiplication of widows. Several of the Liberal peers supported the Government, but Lord Onslow’? amendment was carried by 37 votes to 16. A consequential amendment describing “necessitous widows” as those not receiving £250 per annum altogether, was carried without a division. Another sub-section of the Bill was deleted by 33 votes to 9. The Bill was then passed through committee. The Government does not intend to accept the Lords’ amendment. A similar amendment has been defeated twice already in the House of Commons. The Government’s view is that the amendment would disqualify a fewwidows, but would add considerably to the administrative expenses.

TAMWORTH BY-ELECTION. LONDON, October _3. Owing to the resignation of Sir E. Iliffe, the Tamworth by-election was held and resulted: Sir A. Steel Maitland ex-member of the Conservative Cabinet 23,495. Norwill (Labour) 12,759.