COMMONERS REASSEMBLE

Chronicle (Levin), 21 October 1947, Page 5

COMMONERS REASSEMBLE

(N.Z.P.A,

—Reuter.

! King To Open Sessioa With Traditional Ceremony

Comright)

Receive'd Tuesday, 11.10 a.m. LONDON, Oct.- 20. The new session sf Parliament will begin tomorrow. " When members of the House of Coiiimons reassembled today after the " ten weeks' adjournment they were summoned to the House of Lords to hear the Speech from the Throne, reviewing the past session and proroguing this Parliament to hiake way for the opening of the new session tomorrow. - - The King will open the new session with all the traditional ceremony. His Majesty, in his speech proroguing Parliament, recorded "substantial progress" during the j session in national reconstruction. He said the Government was fully aware that Britain's diffieulties could not be overcome except in 'conjunction with other Governments. The Government, therefore, warmly welcomed the Marshall plan proposals. The Government continued to fully support the United Nations, His Majesty said. It had also put forward proposals for a definite safeguard of the fundamental liberties which were the right of all peoples. The Government persisted ,in efforts. to establish a true democracy in the British zone of Germany. His Majesty added: "I am grieved at the grave disorders occurring in India and Pakistan. My sympathy goes out to their Governments and peoples, and especially the refugees." His Majesty said that British forees continued to keep order in many parts of the world. Their devotion to duty and forbearance in many difficult and trying circumstances . deserved the highest praise. Since June, 1945, about 4,750,000 men and women had been demobilised. The Lord Chancellor read the King's speech in the House of Lords. The speaker later read the speech in the House of Commons and Parliament was then prorogued. The new session will focus early attention on independence for Burma and the Anglo-American tariff negotiations, says Reuter. His Majesty's speech tomorrow at the opening of the new session will announce the Labour Gov.ernment's legislative programme for the Parliamentary year. Mr. Attlee, in the debate on the Address-in-Reply, will deal lengthily with the -economic crisis and will indicate the extent of the new cuts in the forces. It is believed, adds Reuter, that the Cabinet spent a considerable time discussing whether the reform of the House of Lords should be included in the programme for the session.