IMPERIAL POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 352, 1 April 1910, Page 5

IMPERIAL POLITICS.

THE LORDS" RESOLUTIONS. FURTHER DEBATE. "Jy Cable. —Press Association —Co n right London. March 30. Mr Munro-Fergiison, member for Leitli Burglis, expres-vd the Moderate Liberal views. Reiorm of the Second Chamber, lie said, should precede definite powers. | Mr G. N. Barnes, Labour member, urged the abolition of the House of Lords. Mr Findlay. member for Larnark, gave notice of a front bench amendment: That this House regards a strong I efficient Second Chamber as necessary, j and is willing to consider proposals lor j reform, hut decline proposals destroying the usefulness of any Second Chamber, however constituted, and removing the only safeguard against gieat changes being made by the Government of the day, not only without the consent, but against the wishes of the inn-. jority of the electors'. I The Whips have arranged that this | amendment will be moved to-morrow, and a division taken on Monday. PRESS CRITICISM. London, March 30. Interest ,in the debate is flagging. There are many absentees, and the Peers' Gallery is empty. Mr F. Smith, in a racy speech,; twitted Mr Asquith with omitting <tx- j planations of relorm. It was in every- j body's knowledge,, he said, that those. who kept the Government in office were not committed to reform; not 30 per cent of the coalition members' intended to go to the constituencies in May or June and ask for a mandate for re form of the Lords. Mr J. A. Simon said Unionists would welcome an attempt to combine com-1 .plicated reforms with the simpler proposal for limitaTfon of the veto, but if the Government adopted the simpler method it would have a united party behind it. ' *' INTEREST FLAGGING. The Chronicle agrees,' with Mr Redmond that when the Lords reject the resolutions, Mr Asquith should secure the King's promise to use his prerogative, and then dissolve. The Chronicle disagrees with Mr Redmond's idea that no other measure should delay a dissolution, and urges, that it would be absurd to fight the j Lords by dropping the Budget, wMch i precipitated the crisis. The Graphic says Mr Asquith has I not indicated, as he promised, the proposals for reform., but simply attacics the House of Lords' as now constituted. Several newspapers comment on the lack' of enthusiasm in the debate on the veto resolutions. | Thirty amendments have been pro-; posed to the resolutions'. I Mr Storey urges that preference be given to social reforms. I The Standard declares that the extremists are dissatisfied with Mr As'quith's idea of reforming the House of Lords, while th p Moderates urge amalgamation of reform with limitation of veto.