VETO BILL INTRODUCED.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1059, 23 February 1911, Page 5

VETO BILL INTRODUCED.

THE STRUGGLE BEGINS. I ■ PRIME MINISTER MOVES THE FIRST READING. THE UNIONIST ATTITUDE.

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of Lords have not consented to the Bill. , (2) A Money Hill means a Bill which ill (he opinion ol' tlio Speaker of the , House of Commons contains only provisions dealing with all or any of the following subjects, namely, tlio imposition, repeal, remission, alteration, or regulation of taxation; charges on tlio Consolidated Fund or tlio provision of money by Parliament; supply; tho appropriation, control, or regulation of . public money; tho raising or guarantee of any loan or the repayment thereof; or matters incidental to those subjects or any of them. • (3) When a Hill to which the House of Lords lias not consented is presented to His Majesty for assent as a .Money Bill, tho Dill shall bo accompanied by 11 certificate of the Speaker of the House of Commons that it is a Money Bill. (1) No amendment shdll be allowed to a Money Bill which, in the opinion of tlio Speaker of tho llouso of Commous, is such as to prevent tho Bill retaining tho character of a Money Bill. Restriction of the Powers of the House of Lords as to Bills other than Money Bills. II—(1) If any Bill other than a Money Bill Ms passed by tho House of Commons . in . three successive sessions (whether of the same Parliament or not), and, having been Bent up to the llouso .of Lords at least one month before tho end of tho cession, is rejected by tho House of Lords in each of thosc sessions, that :Bill shall, on its rejection for the third time by the House of Lords, unless the House of Commons direct to the contrary, be presented to his Majesty and become an Act of Parliament on tho Koyal Assent being signified thereto, .notwithstanding, that the House of Lords has not consented to tho Bill: Provided that this provision shall not take Otlect unless two years havo elapsed between the date of the first introduction of the Bill in the Houso of Commoiis and. the dato on which it passes the House of Commons for the third tirao. (2) A Bill shall be' deemed' to be rejected by tho House of Lords if it is not passed by tho Houso of Lords either without amendment or with such amendments only as may bo agreed to by both Houses. (3) A Bill shall. be deemed to bo the samo Bill ns a former Bill sent up to the Houso of Lords in tho preceding sessions .if,, when it is sent up to tho House of Lords, it is identical with tho former Bill or contains onlv srtfch alterations as aro certified by tlio. Speaker of the House of Commons to be necessary owing to tho timo which has elapsed since tho dato pf tho former Bill, or to represent amendments which have, beeii made by tho House of- Lords in tho former Bill in tho preceding sessions. ' Provided that the'House-of Commons may, if they think fit, on tho passage of such a Bill through tho House in tho second or third session, suggest hny further amendments ' without inserting the amendments ill .the Bill, and any such suggested amendments shall be considered by tho Hou.se' of Lords, ond if! agreed to by that House, shall bo treated as amendments nlade by tho Houso of Lords- »n<l agreed to by tho Houso of Commons; but tho exercise: of this power by tho Houso of Commons shall not .affect tlio operation of .this section-in tho event of the'Bill being rejected by the House of Lords. ■>. ' • Certificate of Speaker. 111. Any certificate of tlio Speaker of the House of Commons given under this Act shall be conclusive for all purposes, and shall not bo questioned in any court of law. ' ' , Rights and Privileges of the Commons. IV. Nothing in this Act shall diminish or qualify tho existing rights " and privileges of tho Houso of Commons. ' Duration of Parliament.! V. Fivo years shall be substituted for seven years as'the time fixed for tho maximum duration of Parliament under tho Septennial Act, 1715. VI. This Act may be cited as the Parliament Act, 1011.

(Roc. February 22, 10,15 p.m.) , t London, February 22. , The first rending of tho Parliament 11111, embodying tho Government proposals for t tho restriction of Iho power* of the Houso Of Lords/was moved in the Houso of Commons to-day by (| lo l'rimc Minister. TJio Dill ij identical with that introduced in April lust. ■Mr. Astjuith was given an ovntion as ho roso to 'introduce tho measure. Uo said the question with which it dealt had been specifically submitted to tho people. Tho present situation was tho result of the House of Lords' intolerable action in placing finance, equally with legislation, nt tho mercy of im irresponsible and increasingly partisan authority.' Tho country had twice demanded tho present remedy for the present evils. It was admitted that tho llouso of Lords must yield to tho will of tho electorate. Tho rejection of the Budget of 1009 was tho most stupendous blunder ever perpotrated by tho House of Lords who had committed political suicide. Tho assertion that the Government wished to rulo by a despotio Singlo Chamber was an unsubstantial nightmare. Thero wero conceivable condition in which a referendum would bo' n possiblo expedient in* dealing with Exceptional cases, but if it wero regarded ns a regular part of tho Constitution it would redyco tho elections to a sham parado and degrade the Houso of Commons to the level of a talking club. Tho' Unionist proposal' for the introduction of tho i referendum was more revolutionary than tho Veto Bill. Mr.' Balfour on Conciliation. Mr. Balfour, Leader of tho Opposition, followed the Prime Minister. Ho argued in favonr of a conciliatory agreement in order to effect changes in tho composii tion of tho llouso of Lords which wero admittedly necessary. A general election was not a decision upon ono issue, whereas a referendum was. The Government lad last w?ek claimed tho election ns a decision against Preference and Tariff Reform. By what miracle could 'tho samo vote decide tho details concerning tho House of Lords,question? Ho hoped tlint controversy would proceed without controversial violence w'liich it was desirablo should bo avoided, this year; but' ho would.not assent to an agreement imposing a constitutional change . which the people , did not desire.' ,They desired a change, but did not desire n revolutionary chango lit tho bidding of an Jrish minority. There were somo issues so great'that compromiso wns impossible. A puroly electivo Second Chamber 'was inconsistent,with the predominance of tho Hous'o of Commons. Unless tho Government wished to destroy that predominance it would bo folly to throw wholly asido, the hereditary principle. v Labour Accepts Tho.Bill. ' '.Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald, Leader of the Labour party, said he recognised with regret that a majority of the people insisted on n Sjocond Chamber, but to have one composed of rich men ablo to spend money to Contest enormous constituencies would bo going from the frying-pan into tho fire.'.He would object' less.to tho present System wiiibh had an; aesthetic and picturesquo value! : The Labour party Objected to the prcamblo of tho'Bill, but Would rather accept .it than forego reform. ■ 1 . A Liberal's Objection. Sir C. J. Cory, Liberal member for St. : Ives, intimated that. though ho sympathised with the Bill he would vote against it unless it was. mado clcan that it would not be used to carry .Ilomo Rule, , , NATIONALIST MANIFESTO. WILL TAKE NO PART IN CORONA- . . TION. ■ (Rec. February 22,: ; 10.15 p.m.) London,. 'February' 22. A . meeting of Nationalist members of , the Houso of Commons, Mr. Redmond, , Leader of tho Nationalist party, presid : < ing; has issued a statemtnt expressing tho hopo that the' King will Jiavo a long and glorious reign, but regretting that as reprcsciitatives of a pooplo who bto still denied self-government they are unable to participate in the Coronation festivities. , SCOTTISH HOME RULE, A COMING DEMONSTRATION. < (Rec. February 22, 10.15. p.m.) j London, February 22. Tho Scottish National Committee is organising a demonstration to ■ take place in Edinburgh at Easter in favour of Scottish Home ltule.