TIME LIMIT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 46, 6 February 1930, Page 4

TIME LIMIT

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BILL LORDS-COMMONB conflict. COMPROMISE AGREED TO. [British Official Wirelew.] Rugby, February 4. Cabinet to-Uay, alter a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, agreed to a compromise in the conmet which has arisen between the House ol Commons and the House ol Lords over the Unemployment Insurance Bill. it is. omcially stated tnat at the meeting the Prime Minister set forth the situation created by the action of the House of Lords in insisting upon their amendment limiting the duration of the BIU to one year. He pointed out that there were three courses open—namely, to accept the amendment, resist it, or amend it. The meeting decided to act upon i the Government’s suggestion that the House of Lords amendment be amended to provide tha( the measure should continue until June 30, 11)33. The compromise implies acceptance of the principle of limitation laid down by the House of Lords.

The matter will come up for debate m tne House of Commons late tonight. In the event of modification ol the House of Lords' amendment being passed, it is expected the modification will be accepted by the House of Lords. It appears that at the meeting of Cabinet with the Parliamentary Labour Party the compromise proposal was strongly resisted by a section of the party, but the counsels of moderation prevailed. PREMIER’S STATEMENT. AMENDING CLAUSE AGREED TO (United Press Association—By Cable— Copyright.) London, February 6. Members of the House of Commons at 11 30 o'clock last night considered the reason of the House of Lords for insisting on a time limit to the Unemployment Insurance Bill. Mr MacDonald, who was greeted with loud Labour cheers, said: “It is necessary to be perfectly plain. The amendments undoubtedly raised the question of privilege, and it is interference on the part of the House of Lords with our rights to determine how the money of the country is to be spent. Hitherto when the House of Commons deleted privileged amendments the House of Lords has agreed. To-night we aje informed by the House of Lords that as long as the Labour Government is in office it will sit and criticise Labour Bills as a sub-committee. The Tory party admits that the decision of the House of Lords has put the Government in a fix, as it was meant to do.’’ Mr MacDonald added: “If we drop the Bill and put it into the category if Bills awaiting the operatic: of the Parliament Act. the finance of the unemployed funds will be bankrupt in ten to fourteen days. We therefore propose to amend the House of Lords’ amendment, because it is absolutely unworkable. The administrative machinery will be hardly in working order in twelve months. The House of Lords' amendment proposes a time limit which will be finished before certain important changes in the Bill com' into operation Therefore the Gov ernment- proposes to substitute June. 1933, for March, 1931 and thus give time for the administrative and ad judicative machinery to come into operation. This will give time foi the Act to be tried as a reasonable experiment. If revision is necessary it can be undertaken in a clearer and calmer atmosphere. For a double reason—first, the defence of the liberties and privileges of the House: second, because the Act is a piece of practical workable legislation—l beg to move the resolution amending the House of Lords’ amendment.’’ Mr Churchill said that the course Mr MacDonald outlined commended itself to the Opposition, but in reference to the statement that the Labour party could never expect fair treatment from the House of Lords, he pointed out that no minority party had ever been treated with more generosity than the present Labour Government. The attack was made in a sense of grievance, but the Labour Party were really pampered darlings. (Laughter.) ' The House of Lords was entitled to reject the Bill. After Sir Herbert Samuel and Mr Devlin had supported the amendment >t was carried.