HOUSE OF LORDS REFORM.

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 24 May 1932, Page 4

HOUSE OF LORDS REFORM.

I A meeting of the central council of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations recently passed a resolution advocating a reform of the personnel of the House of Lords. The House of Lords already represents far more sections of the British people than is commonly supposed. The aristocratic element does indeed greatly preponderate in it. But there are Labour peers, and it contains members of almost every grade, including clergy, authors, civil servants, lawyers, journalists, business men. It is in one sense as representative as the House of Commons, though in a different way. It represents trades and professions instead of geographical areas. The central council also proposed that the powers of the second chamber should bo increased by making it necessary that a non-money Bill, passed by the Commons, but rejected by the Lords, should be presented in two successive Parliaments, instead of, as at present, in two successive sessions of the same Parliament, before becoming kw. This would insure that no Bill opposed by the Lords could become law without the people’s having been consulted at a general election. An obvious objection to this suggestion is that it would still further delay legislation. Moreover, the same purpose could be achieved by the institution of the referendum. So long, however, as the Crown, that is, the Prime Minister, can create peers at will, the preponderating party in the House of Commons can invariably compel the Lords to consent to anything that it really is ■determined shall pass into law. Britain’s safeguard against revolution is not refinement of the Constitution, but the good sense of the British people.