BRITISH POLITICS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1369, 21 February 1912, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

UNIONIST CENSURE MOTION.

REFORM OF LORDS BEFORE

HOME RULE.

MINISTERIAL REPLY,

By Tclesraph—Preß» Assoctatlaa—eopyt!s.i> (Roc. February 20, 10.-I0 p.m.) London, February 20. Mr. F. E. Smith, Unionist member for tho Walton division of Liverpool, moved tho Opposition amendment to tho Act-(lress-in-Reply, censuring the Government for proceeding with great constitutional changes before carrying out its pledges to reform tho House, of Lords.

Tho country, ho said, had been persuaded to agree to tho Parliament Act, becauso a reformed House of Lords was promised. Tho whole of the electioneering against the hereditary principle would bo dishonest unless these reforms followed.

Mr. Smith quoted the Premier's declaration made in 1910 that the reform of the House of Lords would lie dealt with at the earliest possible date, They understood that this would mean during the present session. Ministers had never warned tho country that the reform would bo postponed until the Home Rule Bill was passed. Ho did not believe that moro than a fragment of the Government supporters would follow the Premier In constructing a new House of Lords. Tho ono measure on which the suspension of the constitutional power of the nouse ot Lords should not bo used was Home Rule, but the wholo conspiracy had been made for that purpose.

Sir John Simon, Solicitor-General, said Mr. Smith had not proved that the Government, in giving Home Rule priorityover the reconstitution of the House of Lords, was breaking pledges or perpetrating an injustice. Mr. Smith had also assumed that tho Government had greater difficulty in carrying Home Rule in - a House of Lords reformed on Liberal lines. Whatever its fut.vre composition, tho House of Lords would never regain an unlimited veto, nor would tho Constitution mako it moro bitterly opposed to Home Rule than at present.

Mr. Ilonnr Law, Leader of the Opposition, asked, Will there be no method under the Government's House of Lords reform scheme to enable an appeal to the people to be made?

Sir John Simon replied that Mr. Smith had ashed Mr. Bonar Law whether, if the Unionists iiad been returned to power they would repeal the Parliament Act, and Mr. Bonar Law had replied that there would be no repeal without a simultaneous reform of the House of Lords. Mr. Smith had also declared throughout the last election, and other members of the Opposition Lad also prophesied that if tho Parliament Bill was once passed the Radical Government, if faithful to its pledges, would carry Homo Rule. After prophesying Iho thing which was being realised, they now pretended a monstrous fraud had been perpetrated. The Opposition, had further emphasised its knowledge of this consequence of the return to office of tho Liberal party in seeking to graft on an amendment to the Bill excluding Home Rule from its scope. For a quarteir of a century the Liberal party had been a Home Rule party. Tho Opposition olaimed tho name of Unionists, and denounced the Liberals as separatists. Tho debate was adjourned. MINISTER'tit'ISOy 'APPOINTMENT.'" London, February 19. Mr. Ellis Jones Griffith, K.C., M.P. for Anglesey, and Recorder for Birkenhead, succeeds Mr. C. F. G. Masterman as Under-Secretary in tho Home Department, Mr. Masterman having succeeded Mr. Mlvinnon Wood as Financial Secretaiy to tho Treasury.