REFORM OF LORDS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 720, 21 December 1933, Page 5

REFORM OF LORDS

(Press Assn.-

spiritep debate an alleged lvfoye for dominance by tories HEREDITARY PRINCIPAL|3

-By Telegraph— Copyrlght).

(Rec. Dec. 20) Lqndon; Dec. 19 Intrpdq.cing his bill for the- reform of the House of Lor,ds, the Marquess of . Salisbury, citing Sir Stafford Cripps' recent speeches on the Labour party's intentions, said "We should be insqne if we did not take precautions to prevent the country unknowingly not- dreaming of the conseauences of being exposed to a Laboqr Government." He had never been able to undefstar.d the attacks on the hereditary principle, which has permeated the whole of English society. ' ' "We are ndt fighting for our riglits but for our obligations. It would be contemptible to suggest that we are fighting for privileges. We are here because we believe we can render I service to the country. If it does not want us, let us go home. 1 • •• • '■Reform of the House of Lords has been an issue for half a pentury. At this moment, when the dang.ers of a Labour succeg's are- demonstrably formidable and when the Gonseryatives and Liberals alike are determined to resist them, it seems to be the right time to suhmit a bill to strengthen the Constitution and the power of the Lords." Lord Ponsonby (Labour) mqved the rejection of the bill on the grounds that its intention was to consolidate the Gonservative dominance of the Upper House. It was, he said, an attempt to use the Government's passing majority to Gerrymander with the Constitution in favour of tho Tory party. The Marquess of Reading (Liberal) agreed that the bill would not only increase the power of the House of Lords, hut would give it a dominant Conservative majority. "We should be taken back," he said "to the bad old days before 1911, Which We thought had been disposed of once and for all." Viseount Astor (Conservative) said that while favouring reform he thought Lord Salisbury's bill would maintain all the disadvantages of the present Constitution. He wquld prefer a nominated to a hereditary House. Lord Dickenson (Liberal) said the House of Lords should not be empowered to override the House of Commons.