ANGRY SPEECH IN LORDS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIX, Issue 21994, 20 June 1941, Page 5

ANGRY SPEECH IN LORDS

(Rec. 2.10 am.) LONDON, June 19. An aftermath of a slander action in which £l6OO damages were awarded against Dr. E. W. Barnes, Bishop of Birmingham, on May 9, was witnessed in the House of Lords when the Bishop, during an angry speech, sought to justify his in refusing to give evidence in the case which was brought by . Cem 4"L^, al S2 facturers whom he again attacked. He complained that Lord Wolmer, a former chairman of Cement Manufacturers, should be Director of Cement and re-emphasised the miseries the people would endure to the coming, winter unless proper bombproof shelters were provided. Lord Wolmer, replying, declared that the Bishop had made an untrue charge and had paid £l6OO rather than avail himself of the opportunity of proving the truth of his P The Bishop, in a high-pitched indignant voice, retorted: Surely Lord Wolmer is not ignorant of the use by big business of actions for slander which become the accepted techs ege for the suppression of criticism. He nroceeded to explain his reasons for no™ defending the action chiefly owing to the cost which, he said, would be a m°re nothing to the multimillionaire ring and disclosed that against his wish his friends had collected £’ioo toward his law costs. Lord Wolmer assured the House of Lords that the cement trade was doing eventhing the Government. wanted it to do in regard to air raid shelters.