THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1907. JEWS IN PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8357, 12 February 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1907. JEWS IN PARLIAMENT.

A question that has lately been exercising the mind of the Jewish community in England is the advisability of the formation of the Jewish members of Parliament into a standing committee to watch over the interests of their co-religionists. The idea first came into prominence in connection with the administration of the Aliens Act, though even while this measure, was still being discussed by the House of Commons, it was frequently suggested that the Jewish M.P.'s should combine to voice their views and obtain the realisation of their wishes. Other questions that have recently added strength to the agitation for a Jewish Parliamentary Committee are the ill-fated Education Bill, the Sunday Closing Bill, and the Naturalisation Laws. The desirability of such a committee was urged at the annual meeting of the board of deputies by the president, Mr David L. Alexander, K.C., and was also strongly upheld by Mr Albert H. Jessel. K.C., in his presidential address before the Union of Jewish Literary It is understood, of course, that whatever co-operation would be effected between the Jewish I Parliamentary members would be i confined to questions of a non-party character in whic*> Jewish interests were specifically affected. The number of Jews in the House of Commons is rather unevenly divided beween the two main parties, as there are twelve on the Liberal side and only four on the Conservative side. The most eminent of them are Mr Her- , bert? Samuel, the Under-Secretary for Home Affairs, and Mr Rufus Isaacs, K.C.; whilst Mr Stuart M. Samuel and Mr B. S. Straus have always been assiduous in voicing the grievances of Anglo-Jewry. Although/the suggestion of the Jewish Parliament-

ary Committee has been warmly approved in many circles of the Jewish community, it has been rejected with singular unanimity by the M.P.'s themselves. In explanation and in defence, the Jewish members point out that they were returned to Parliament to represent the interests of their constituents, and not of the religious denomination to which they themselves belong. They believe that the formation of a standing committee would be injurious to the general interests of their community, as it would tend to emphasise differences of little importance, and make people believe that there were differences between Jew and Gentile where they did not exist. In order, however, to give more effective expression to Jewish opinion on Jewish matters, closer co-operation has been suggested between the board of deputies (the representative body of the Jews of the United Kingdom) and Jewish members of Parliament whenever any question of Jewish importance arises. This proposal is altogether feasible, and whilst it is approved by most of the Jewish members, it will also serve to realise the demands of the board of deputies.