PARLIAMENT OF BRITAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19558, 10 February 1927, Page 9

PARLIAMENT OF BRITAIN.

HIS MAJESTY'S SPEECH. FOREIGN RELATIONS GOOD. HOME TRADE IMPROVEMENT. PLEA FOR INDUSTRIAL PEACE., By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. A. and N.Z. LONDON, Feb. 8. Tho State opening of Parliament to-day was accompanied by elaborate ceremonial and a picturesque procession. Their Majesties rode in a gilt coach and were loudly cheered all along the route to Westminster. »

In the House of Lords there was a brilliant scene. The peers wore their red and ermine robes./ The peeresses were gaily attired and wore tiaras of jewels worth many thousands of pounds. King George honoured Lady Parr, wife of the High Commissioner for New Zealand, with an invitation to sit in the Royal box. Dame Cook, wife of the High Commissioner for Australia, accompanied the Lord Mayor of London, Sir G. R. Blades, and tho Lady Mayoress, who sat in the box of the Lord Chamberlain, the Earl of Cromer.

The Prince of Wales occupied his usual seat over the clock.

Queen Mary was dressed in white satin with the blue sash of the Order of the Garter.

The Earl of Balfour, Lord President of the Council, handed the Royal, speech to His Majesty. There was then a prolonged pause owing to the unusual time occupied in summoning the Speaker to the bar of the House.

The Speech lrom the Throne. His Majesty read the speech in a clear voice, the reading occupying 10 minutes. He said My relations with foreign Powers continue to be friendly. The League of Nations has been strengthened and a further step has been taken toward the restoration of normal international relations in Europe by the entry of Germany to the League. Her appointment to a permanent seat on the Council is in continuation of this policy. It was found possible $t the end of January to terminate tile system of Allied control in Germany, which was established by the Treaty of Versailles, and to hand over to the League all questions affecting the military clauses of the treaty. I rejoice that a fair and friendly settlement has been reached regarding the funding of the war debt due to this country by Portugal.

Britain's Internal Affairs. I am happy to note the encouraging signs of an improvement in trade and industry and I earnestly, pray that those who are engaged in the various industries of this country will use their utmost endeavours to ensure the improvement in the volume of employment among my people which may now be reasonably anticipated, and which I trust may not be arrested by industrial strife.

. Proposals will be submitted at an early date to enable effect to be given to the change in the style and titles of the Sovereign. To these, on the recommendation of the Imperial Conference, I have given my approval. At the same time you will be invited to make consequential alterations in ' the title of Parliament. Recent events have made evident the importance of defining and amending the law in reference to industrial disputes. Proposals for this purpose will bo laid before you.

The speech concluded by enumerating other measures to be submitted. These include a bill to encourage the production and exhibition of British films, proposals to amend the law relating to leasehold premises, a bill in connection with agriculture, a measure to deal with insurance against unemployment, proposals to amend the Companies Acts, also the reorganisation of certain departments in Scotland.

Address-in-Reply In Commons. ,

When the House of Commons assembled in the afternoon there were two demonstrations by the Labour Party. The first was in honour of Mr. Oswald Mosley. the new Socialist member for Smethwick. The second occurred when Captain Wedgwood Benn, member for Leith,, who recently left the Liberal Party, sat down on the third Labour bench.

The Home Secretary, Sir William Joyn-son-Hicks, gave uotice of the introduction of a bill to alter the Royal style and title, also the style of Parliament, according to tho decisions of the Imperial Conference. The first speaker after th® moving of the Address-in-Reply was the Leader of the Labour Party, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald. He asked if ever a Kinpr"« speech had more plainly indicated that Ministers had nothing on which to jidvise His Majesty? Mr. Mac Donald said he personally joined in the prayer for industrial peace, but the coalmining agreements were generating illwill with their victimisation. If the trades uni->n laws aroused a controversy now it would not make for industrial peace. It would be wiser to let matters irest.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Stanley Baldwin, in replying said Mr. Mac Donald wanted the King's speech to be filled with a mass of legislation which would enable him to unite the scattered fragments of the Labour Party. The Government had only included bills which could be passed before August 1, because the experiment of a late autumn session would be repeated.