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West Coast Times, 19 March 1910, Page 2

REFORM OF THE LORDS. Lord Rosebery’s attempt to forestall and Liberal efforts in the direction of reforming the House of Lords is, naturally enough, attracting widespread interest, although it must he generally felt the prospect of any tangible results is rather remote. Still, it is something to have the peers seriously discussing their own reformation. Great constitutional changes are undoubtedly pending in England, and the more fully the whole question is discussed, and the more the electorate is informed respecting the issues 'involved the better. Lord Roqehery asks the House of Lords to affirm—(l) the necessity of a strong second Chamber, (2) the desirability of creating one nut of the present House of Lords, and (3) of abolishing the hereditary principle. Most people will endorse the last proposition readily enough. Those who have studied politics will approach the first with caution, and they will be frankly sceptical about the second. Admitting that a Second Chamber is a necessity, we cannot got away from the fact that a strong Second Chamber elected on a thoroughly representative basis is likely to be a prolific source of political deadlocks. It will consider itself as fully entitled to speak for the community as any other Chamber, and if it is directed by masterful leaders the country would soon find itself in the position of not knowing in which House the control of its affairs resided. But when Lord Rosebery seriously suggests that the present House of Lords contains the materials for the basis of an ideal Second Chamber ho is surely placing its collective intelligence on a very high level, and that of the nation on a very low one. Perhaps there are a dozen peers who would emerge successfully from an electoral contest on their own merits. Possibly there are two dozen, althought we doubt it, and the notion that the country will be satisfied with a re-modelled Second Chamber, consisting mostly of Peers, is surely presuming ton muclvtn the average Englishman’s well-known veneration of a lord. Meanwhile, the Liberals appear to be maturing some scheme of their own. Lord Morley appealed to the House to await the Government’s proposals, and Sir Edward Grey has hinted at a Second Chamber elected by enlarged constituencies. It would appear that the Government, finding it could obtain no mandate for the simple expedient of shearing the House of Lords of practically all its powers and leaving it with nothing to do, is now considering plans for superseding it with another Chamber, which shall be senatorial in character. But a Government which has such ;a short time to live must necessarily lack the capacity to execute any such large order. Its actions and policy suggest that it is preparing for an early resignation and a fresh appeal to the country. It may be that a scheme for creating a Senate, elected on a fairly liberal franchise, will be one o fthe issue on which the electors will nexlt be asked to pronounce. It is safe to say that it would be strenuously resisted by the Peers themselves, because it would involve the extinction of the political privileges they are so anxious to retain. Still, between the efforts of the Liberals to reform the Peers and the efforts of the Peers to reform themselves, there should be some striking political developments during the 'present year.