PEERS AND PEOPLE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12698, 16 March 1910, Page 5

PEERS AND PEOPLE.

FRENCH REVOLUTION CITED AS A

WARNING

iPress Assn. — By Telegraph —Copyright) LONDON, March 15.

The House of Lords was thronged, and the Prince and Princess of Wales were present Avhen Lord Rosebery moved that the House go into committee on his resolutions. He contended that it was hopeless to imagine that the Government's veto resolution, if passed m 1910, would lie followed 1 by reform, of tho House of Lords m. 1911. The Liberals would say .to. Mr Asquith — "We i'OQbgnise your good intention, but do npt mean to have anything to do with that. You deprived the House of Lords of its' provilege and power m a- single session off Parliament. What more do Aye want?" MrAsquith's proposal resembled -hamstringing a. valuable horse and then entering it. for the Derby. Lord Rosebery concluded a closely reasoned, earnest speech against *'tlie ; Govern-, ment's proposal for complete domination by ; the House of Commons by setting up a . sham, impotent second Chamber," mentioning the lessons of the French revolution . and the danger of withholding', concessions until too late. He -was, he said, convinced that the -House of Lords wduld rise to the height of a great occasion and earii the gratitude of unborn generations.

Viscount Morley urged the House to wait' and hear the Government's proposals. ' ,' He said that . Lord 'Rosebery liad - fail ed! to touch the emergency confronting, tli^m. 'What^was needed was an effective nieans Of . settling differences between the two House's. ;

. . Lord Northcote approved of; r the Resolutions, but consider edHhat the details required careful examination.

The debate was. adjourned. (Received March 16, 8.45 a.<m.)

LONDON, March 15.. ■ During his speech m the House ot Lords Lord. Rosebery 'referred to Sir George Reid, High Oorhriixssiorier for Australia, as a man of infinite Jpppulai , ity> arid '.geniality; No :, better choice for the position, he said, could possibly have been made. He asked how could Sir George Reid possibly justify to Atustralians . the abolition of a second Chamber. iri Great Britain when Australia, took, care to secure a strong and .efficient Senate upon the institution of' Federation m 1900? The colonies, he added, had always taken care to secure a strong second Chamber. There is much comment m the newspapers on Lord Rosebery's statement that he deprecated the- election of Peers by popular vote. This, he sfiid. Would; only give wa feeble understudy of the House bf,.Cohim6ns, and multiply the, horrors of a .general election, but the Lords would derive dignity by association - Avith corporations and County Councils formed into elective bodies upon the French basis. Representation provided m this way shouild form no inconsiderable proportion of the JJpper. House. Sir Edward GTey, m the course of a speech at a Liberal banquet m. the xrity, said that, if the reform of the .House of Lords ; was left to the other side the Liberals Would be. conrtino: disaster, death, 'arid 'damnation. .'. T^e solution would be an elective ■ chamber, elected ■not', necessarily simultaneously I with that of . the House of .Commons, nor' from the same area. • The O-overnment, would reimpose the Budget taxes, and by that they Would stand Or fall. '-,