House Of Lords Discusses British Emergency Bill

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 August 1947, Page 7

House Of Lords Discusses British Emergency Bill

(Rec. 10.35 a.m.) LONDON, August 12. The Lord Chancellor, Lord Jowitt, moving the second reading of the Supplies and Services (Transitional Powers) Bill, in the House of Lords today, said: “I believe the 1945 Act gives us all the powers we want. This Bill does not add to those powers, but I am bound to tell you there is a different school of thought. Those whose advice I habitually accept on these matters take a different view.”

Lord Jowitt said the Bill had been bedevilled by politics. The debate had become “such a' donnybrook” that a simple matter of resolving some legal doubts was treated as one of tremendous political importance. He did not pretend that he liked the Bill.' He entirely disliked totalitarianism, but he was determined tne country should face its great difficulties with vigour and determination.

“A Sorry Confession”

Lord Jowitt concluded that, the justification for the Government having the powers granted in the Bill was that they would never be exercised. With the powers in the background it would be possible to arrange things by common agreement. Lord Llewellin said it was a sorry confession when the Government said it had no preconceived notion of how to deal with the crisis. It had taken the Government two years to realise that its powers were insufficient to deal with the matters it should have been dealing with during those years. This showed complete incompetence. Lord Swinton said it would be intolerable if the Government issued important orders during the recess giving effect to plans of which the House now knew nothing. Lord Teviot said he would like to see a division against the Bill, but he knew it was not going to be done. Before the motion was put he would leave the House, because he did not want to have on his conscience the responsibility for passing the Bill. The Opposition leader, the Marquess of Salisbury, advised the House not to oppose the second reading and gave notice that the Opposition was tabling an amendment to the motion for the adjournment for the summer recess that the House would meet after three weeks to consider any order the Government had proposed under the Bill. The House read the Bill a second time.

Sop For The Left Lord Beveridge said the Government did not know what it meant to do with the Bill, which was a piece of window-dressing addressed to the Left. He said the carrying through of the reconstruction necessitated by the Insurance Act would waste manpower. He appealed to the Government to set an example of sacrifice. Lord Teviot urged Britain not to go begging for money outside the Commonwealth. “We should get the Commonwealth representatives here and lay our cards on the table at a family party, which would disclose a way-to get out of our difficulties;” he added,