HOME RULE BILL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 526, 14 December 1912, Page 5

HOME RULE BILL.

PASSED THROUGH COMMITTEE.

By Ti.|o»im|.]i. |'rc i .-.\sMwi:(!ion.-Ooi).vTi|sm London, Thursday.

The Hon:'.! of Commons has completed (.he committee stage of tho 48 clauses of the Homo Rile Bill, guillotining the hist. nix. Mr Herhorl. Saimvls' amendment was carried transferring tlvj * r > sh , post oilice 1.0 Britain io rimes ot national emergency. Tho Opposition sharply criticised Sir Rufus Isaacs' alteration of tho time for tho meeting of the Irish Parliament:.

Mr Ronar Law said that tho Government was contemplating a general election after (l.e biil bad been passed and before it could come into operation. This was a wicked proceeding, and was certain to result in disorders. Mr Asquith denied that; the Government had" any ulterior object.

Clause 42 fixed the op'Siin,; of tho Irish Parliament for the first Tuesday in September. 1!>1.'!, and it was to tho alteration of this date, as notified in our cable columns recently, to not more than seven months after tho passing of tho. Act. Clause •!.'> authorises the Treasury to make payment on account of tho transferred sum until the Joint Exchequer Hoard shall have assessed tho amount of the sum to be transferred. This assessment must be completed within three months.

Clause 4 4 givso poivor to tho King to make alterations by Order-in-Couneil in existing Acts of Parliament, ho as to bring thorn into harmony with this Act and to rogulaterelations between tho Irish and British post oilico3 and telegraph services Amongst; other things, it provides that any old ago pensioner in receipt of a pension, even after the service, is transferred to the Irish Government.

Clause 45 arranges that such Orders-in-Co'Jticil shall lie before Parliament for forty clays, ami may bo annulled on an address from either House. The remaining clauses 4(i r 47, and 4S are. merely formal nchedulos and are divided into four partM. Pare I. deals with the constitution of the new Irish House of Commons; redistribution of scats; suppression of tho boroughs of GaKvay. Nowry and Kilkenny; apportioning representatives to cities and urban districts Part 11. : Irish representaiotn at Westminster. Of tho .12 member* whom Ireland is to send to Great Britain eight will bo borough members—four representing Belfast. three representing Dublin, and one Cork. Ulster will have eleven members, and details the Stamp Duties, which must be uniform for both countries. Part 111. lays down elaborate provisions and ruleß for the compensation of various ciasses of existing Irish officers. Part V. makes similar provision for members of tho Roayl Irish Constabulary and Dublin Metropolitan Police.