Guardian of Privileges

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 443, 27 August 1928, Page 13

Guardian of Privileges

SPEAKER OF HOUSE OE COMMONS

Ancient Office Six Centuries Old

THE Speaker, the ruler of the House of Comments, has supreme power over members, but lie must carry <*pt exact ins duties of his office with a tact and firmness. tru_*i by ancient precedents. Recently the Speaker resigned ar.d a new speaker v - a - elected with due formality, and the Mother of Parliameu t gave itself over to the ceremonies of the occasion. It tak.--f our days to see one Speaker ont oi office hud another in, and for at ieast two of them the business of the House cannot proceed.

Mr. John H. Whitley retired at the, age of 62 at the end of 2S years of i Parliamentary life, seven of which were spent in the Speaker's chair. His successor. Captain E. Algernon ‘ Fitzroy, Conservative member for : Daventry and Deputy Chairman of Ways* and Means, has sat in the House already for 28 years and is now f 59 years old, considered an ideal age j for the Speakership. < Mr. Whitley’s term of office is generally conceded to have been a | difficulty one, but his methods have , earned him high praise. The rapid growth of the Labour Party and the consequent entry into the House of men with extreme views, with little or no knowledge of the rules of procedure and with a burning desire to get things done, have given rise to some tempestuous scenes. But the Speaker, with gentle irony, unfailing tact and patience, was usually successful in nipping incipient disorders in the bud by his sympathetic interpretation of the rules and by his availing good temper. PRAISE FOR MR. WHITLEY “He dealt with offenders,” says one critic, “with every consideration for their feelings and recognition of tlnsir points of view—remonstrating with them, appealing to them, counselling them in a soft, modulated voice in which there was no trace of bitterness.” He earned beyond the shadow of a doubt the encomium that he maintained the dignity of his office; to a high degree—a dignity that has been, with rare exceptions, .well , guarded since the day Sir Hungerford became the first Spt r in the fourteenth century. The Speaker of the House of Commons, unlike the Speaker of the American House of Representatives, who is elected for the session of Congress, is elected for no set period. There is an impression abroad that the term of office is for ten years; but in the last 300 years three members have held the office for twelve years, two for fiteen, two for sixteen, one for eighteen: and one, Arthus Onslow, was in the Chair from 1728 to 1761 —thirty-three years. The remainder of the incumbents have all held office for less than ten years. At each general election the Speaker must seek re-election, although there is a tradition that he is unopposed in his constituency—a tradition that the Labourites propose to violate in the next election. And at the beginning of each Parliament he must go through the formality of re-elec-tion to the Chair. His legal term of office is, therefore, five years, which is also the legal life of Parliament; but in practice it continues until he expresses a wish to retire. “MOUTH OF THE HOUSE? As in the House of Representa- : tives, the Speaker is the presiding \ officer—the “mouth of the House,” : or, as Lord Ullswater put it, “the guardian of the privileges of the House as well as those of its members,” It ! is perhaps more exact to say that he is the interpreter of standing and sessional orders, the arbiter of all , disputes, whether they are of a j temperamental nature or arise from a j a point of order, and the supreme ; judge of all problems involving precedent. Unlike the Speaker of the j House of Representatives, he cannot ! vacate his chair to speak from the floor. Except when he casts his ! vote in a tie, he becomes a strictly j non-party man. The Speaker of the House of Com- j mons takes his name from the fact j that until recent times he was the sole medium through which the j House could express itself, as a body, to outside persons; and the only au- ; thority through whom outsiders i could address the House as a whole. ' This referred principally to addresses j to and from the Sovereign, which are now largely delivered by special ! commissioners. The Speaker’s duties, however, are very large and exacting. He has i sole power to reprimand offenders j brought to the Bar of the House; he j interprets all motions and decides I whether they infringe the rules or precedent; he decides whether a bill is a private or public bill—not always | an easy matter; and he certifies all , money bills as such. He decides { whether amendments made by the ! House of Lords infringe the privileges of the House of Commons; he supervises Hansard, or “The Official Reports of the Debates”; he rules on | the closure motion ‘-‘that the ques- | tion be now put," and grants seats in the Press Gallery. The Speakership requires a man of ‘ infinite patience. Not only must he sit for weary hours on end listen i lug sometimes to boring speeches, I but on his ability and tact depend to a large degree the orderliness of : the House. It used to be said that Peel could silence an offender with a glance, but few men have such j powers of concentration and most hawe to depend upon their wit, good humour or resourcefulness in bringing the House to order. No Speaker wishes either to suspend a member ; or a session, although recently it has been done more than once. SPEAKER’S REQUISITES Then there is a constant temptation to indulge in irony or sarcasm, "but such a Speaker, no matter how efficient he may be, is not likely in these darrs to command any popularity, for the office depends for its i successful tenure on the ability of its holder to secure and keep the rftspect of tsie whole house. It is for this reason that the crowning quality demanded of a Speaker is a scqjpulous impartiality. There is a curious difference be- : tween the offices of the Speaker of I the House and the Speaker of the Lords, who is tfte Lord Chancellor. ; Although the latter ranks as the I highest officer of the State, next to

the Archbishop <’{ Canterbury, h*» has practically no authority in th«Housp of Lords. Both Speakers av.preceded —in the Commons to tl)’ Chair, in the Lords to the M oolsact —by the Sergeants at Arms bearing the maces, the symbols of their authority. which are placed on notables before 1 them. In the House of Commons the Speaker commands; in the House of Lords the Speaker inquires their lordships’ pleasure. Til: is because the Speaker of the Lords is regarded as technically outside the House and in order to address it he roust leave the Woolsack and speak from bis place as a peer. Likewise he has no power to suspend a member or a session without the consent of the Lords assembled; and be cannot even adjourn the session without the consent of the House. 1 THE FORM OF ADDRESS Members of the House of Commonas in all deliberate bodies, address the Speaker. They must first call him "Mr. Speaker,” and for the remainder of their speech refer to him as “Sir.” A member accustomed to this procedure once visited the Oxford Union, presided over by a President- He began his speech, “Mr. Speaker—l beg your pardon. Sir. Mr. President —X assure you that your appearance in the chair was most deceptive.” It is perhaps one of the best examples of neatly correcting an error (possibly purposely committed) with a compliment. One of the Speaker's most difficult jobs lies in protecting the privileges of private members. The of securing permission to wpeak is through! “catching the Speaker’s eye,” which is sometimes (Sfficult unless one is down to speak on the Order of the Day. He must rapulate Rebates strictly, in order that all parties get an adequate opportunity of expressing their views, and at the same time keep in mind the volume of business before the House. To this end he will usually recognise the principal speakers first and i®ien must, of course, leave it to the House to move closure. On the other hand, he is usually watchful for new numbers rising to make their maiden, speeches, and he must at all times aee that the legitimate rights of tnemlaers to speak are not curtailed. If the Speaker as such is almost a prisoner of the. House, and if his duties are extremely onerous, there are adequate compensations. He receives a se-lary of ££,ooo a year while in office, an equipment allowance of £ 1,000 on appointment and an official house free -*>f taxes and rent and with coal and ligtit supplied gratis. On retirement he is usually made a viscount —this has been the case only for the last 200 yetft's—and receives a life pension of £d.ooo a year.