HOUSE OF LORDS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 30 June 1927, Page 5

HOUSE OF LORDS

REFORM PROPOSALS.

LABOUR CENSURE MOTION.

DISSENTIENT CONSER.VATIVES,

t(Y CABLE -PRESS ASSOCIATION— COPYRIGHT LONDON, June 28.

The Parliamentary Labour Forty has given ,iKibi.ee of a censure motion, regretting that the Governmeint. brought down a scheme of fund amen tad changes, in the House of Lords, which jerrymanders tihe constitution in till© interests of the Cbnservaitiives and deprives the Hou.se of Ctommons of control of the finances; entrenches the Lords on a hereditary basis more firmly against the people’s will than for centuries; is in defiance of every modern precedent and robs electors of power to deal wjtih the House of Lords. Therefore the motion declares it will be an outrage on the constitution by forcing proposals without .a mandate. If well enough, Mr. Ramsiay MacDonald will move the motion, otherwise Air. Glynes fires the shot and Air. Snowden will support him.

Dissentient Conservatives have tabled an amendment to Labour’s censure motio.ii. It asks the Government to relieve the Speaker of responsibility for giving n certificate in regard to money Bills, and to amend the PanLwnent Act accordingly. Further, that while agreeing that it Is desirable to improve the machinery of the second chamber, the movers of the amendment are of the opinion that n© amendment to the powers of the House of Lords is practicable unless and until same form of general agreement is achieved.

MORE OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSALS. LONDON, June 28. At a meeting of the Unionist Council several members of the House of Common s roundly attacked House of Lords reform, notably Air. A. Duff Cooper and Sir A. Shirley Benn, who expressed the opinion that it would lead to the Socialists swamping tihe House. The Rt. Hon. L. C. AI. S. Arnery ridiouled the statement that the House was iat present efficient. He said the present .proposals did not mean that they •were final. There would be the fullest ,opi»rhuiia.ty for discussion 'before legislation was passed. A motion supporting reform was overwhelmingly adopted. Seventy Moderates have brought down an amendment in the House of ;Ooim*mion:si ttlteiprooi jutiiiTg rGiorm . _ zx general agreement has been achieved. " Lord Oxford, in a letter to Sir .Herbert Samuel, said 'he was unalterably opposed to any attempt to limit tihe prerogative of the Crown and add to peerage prerogative, which is only exercisable on the advice of Ministers and the .existence of which lias, at the least, twice in our history enabled ns to escape from a revolutionary situation. Lord Oxford also opposed the re-im-position of an offensive and dangerous form, of fetters upon the fiscal and legislative supremacy of the Legislative Chamber which the electorate, at, the last two elections, had removed.