THE COMING FIVE HUNDRED.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1182, 18 July 1911, Page 5

THE COMING FIVE HUNDRED.

BARONS OR VISCOUNTS? LIBERAL PEERS DISCONTENTEDA QUESTION OF RANK. By TeJceraph—Press Association— Copyright (Rcc. July 17, 11.20 p.m.) London, July 17. Tho fact that the Government was scarcely able to rely on tho support of half the existing Liberal Peers during tho recent divisions on the Parliament Bill in tho House of Lords is beiiiy much commented on. It is reported that a majority of tho absentees were Barons, and that their dissatisfaction was duo to an incident in connection with tho proposed creation of Peers to pass tho Bill. Many of tho distinguished Liberals to whom peerages wero tentatively offered are said to have insisted upon receiving viscountics instead of baronies.

Tho dissentient Liberal Peers contend that the new creations should bo confined to baronies and that they themselves should be made viscounts. THE GOVERNMENT DETERMINED. AMENDMENTS TO BE REJECTED. London, July 16. Mr. Ure, Lord Advocate of Scotland, speaking at Aberdeen, and 3lr. Walter Rimciman, Minister for Education, at Bodmin, said the Government was resolved to reject all the Lords' amendments to the Parliament Bill. Sir John Simon, Solicitor-General, in a political address at Walthamstow, said the Lords had rejected the Plural Voting Bill, but the Liberals were going to carry its proposals by means of the Parliament Bill. The House of Lords is composed at present of G32 members: 31 Dukes, 35 Marquises, 161 Earls, 50 Viscounts, 285 Barons, Iβ Scottish representative Peers, 28 Irish representative Peers, and 26 Archbishops and Bishops. The state of parties on December 1 last was as under:— Conservatives and Unionists... 471 Liberals 105 Nationalist 1 Politics not stated 10 Minors 13 630 There were on the date mentioned two vacancies among the Scottish representaI tive Peers.