PEERS AND THE SALE OF TITLES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 102, 23 January 1918, Page 7

PEERS AND THE SALE OF TITLES

REVELATIONS IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS. Earl Loreburn, in tho Second Chamber recently, moved his resolution, requiring a declaration to both tho Sovoreign and tho people that honour's are not sold. A friend had told Lim that five or six years ago ho bad bf.en three times offered, a baronetcy for £25,000 and a knighthood for £15,000, tho latter quotation being reduced to £10,000, with a promise that the subscription would count for a future barouotcy. Ho. had heard of several such transactions. Lord Sclborno .dealt with specific cases. Ho said that Sir James Gildea, secrotary to the Soklior.s'. and Sailors' Families' Association, had told him that he was offered £25,000 by one person and £10,000 each by two others towards the funds of the association if ho would undertake to us 9 his influence to obtain a baronetcy or knighthood for each of the individuals concerned. Sir James declined to havo anything whatever to do with such transactions, with the result that not a penny or tho money went to tho association. Another case was that of Mr. George Holman, who had been seven times Mayor of Lewes, Sussex, and had done much public work. At the end of his seventh mayoralty- some of his friends interviewed the party 'Whip at headquarters with a view to getting somo honour for him. The Whip agreed that it was a clear case for an honour, but asked: "\Vhat is he prepared to give to, my party funds?" Mr. Hoimaii Baid in no circumstances would he contribute to the party funds, and tho Whip refused to carry the matter further without such contribution. An Applicant in the "Trade."

Other cases, Lord Solborne said, had been forwarded to .him by Sir Georgo Kekewich, formerly Permanent Secretary to the Education Department, and at one time member for Exeter. Sir Georgo assured him. that when he was in _ Parliament, at the time ,'when the Liconsing Bill of the Lib,eral Government was bofore the House, a' friend of his, not unconnected with the "Trade," camo to him aixl Baid he wanted a knighthood. He was introduced to the Whip, and was told thero would be no great difficulty about his request. The man was a Liberal and a benefactor of the borough in which ho lived, of which ho had been Mayor. _He was told there were two conditions he would have to follow. The first was to abandon his opposition to the. Licensing Bill, and the second was to subscribe £5000 to the party funds. Tho man agreed to these conditions, and his. name appeared in the next list of hon-

uuis. , . . • Earl Ourzon repeated his contention that party contributions should not bo a bar to honours.: But the Government meant to sot. their, face against the scandals alleged. Still, the preamble to tho resolution conveyed a serious implication on four living Prime Ministers. Lord Loroburn had worn the mantle of impeccable virtue, but ho reminded him of the' action taken by the Government of which he was a member in .1911, when it was announced that tho then Prime Minister had received tho assent of the Sovereign to- the. creation of a laTsrc number of peers in order to over-ride any possible opposition to tho passage of the Parliament Bill. How could he have defended the .individual appointments in that case? The Resolution was amended and finally adopted, without the preamblo refleeting on Prime Ministers. This was defeated by 48 votes to 34. The operative words of the Resolution will be:— Tt is desirable that the Primp Minister,, before .recommending-any person for any honour or dignity, should satisfy himself, that no payment or expectation of payment to any party or political fund is directly or indirectly associated with the grant or promise of such honour or dignity.