THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1909. REFORM OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3102, 27 January 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1909. REFORM OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS.

| The "London Times," in commenting on the report of the Select Committee of Peers appointed to consider "the question of increasing the ■efficiency of tiie House of Lords, rejinrks that the aim of the scheme proposed is to bring into the House of Lords as many men as possible who have approved themselves wise and capable leaders of men, and to secure throtiih the representative peers that continuity of tradition and that position within the Constitution which are exceedingly difficult to secure for a completely novel creation. It is proposed accordingly that 200 peers shall be chosen by the whole body of peers, whether of England, Ireland, Scotland, or the United Kingdom, to represent them

in the House of Lords. It is suggested that the election should be I a sort of cumulative vote, each hereditary peer haviwg as many votes as there are representatives, and being at liberty to divide them as he pleases. It is not believed that the arrangement would lead to the party wire-pulling which was suggested as a possible objection. These ■representative peers would sit for the duration of a -Parliament', not for k'fe ; so that there would be an opportunity to vary the-representative element in both Houses witte equal frequency. This arrangement, it may be mentioned, does net touch the prerogative of the Crown to create hereditary peerages. It merely reduces the number of hereditary peers entitled to legislate, and throws upon each peer the burden of proving himself in one way or another worthy to bear the higher title of a Lord ot Parliament, Then there is a long ilist of qualifications enabling peers to sit as of right without election. They may be -summarised as intended to open a wide door to personal merit or distinction in the public service. The two Archbishops are to sit by 'right during their tenure of their-saes, but the rest of the episcopate are to choose eight of their number 'to represent them, finally there-are to be life peers, not : exceeding forty in number, not more tiian four to be created in any one year. Their creation gives the opportunity to bring to the service of the country men of ability who do not meet the of admi-ssion to the House nreviously indicated. The committee desire to add official representatives of the Great Dominions of the Crown to the House, but prefer toileave mainly to the Governments of these countries themselves the manner in which any such arrangement should be carried-out. It is computed that under this scheme the House of Lords would consist of something under 400 members, made up thus: —Three peers of the blood royal, -200 representative peers elected for one Parliament, 130 qualified hereditary peers, 10 spiritual peers, 5 Lords of Appeal in ordinary, and life peers -gradually brought up to, but not exceeding, 40. ■The. House of Lords would thus De reduced'to about two-thirds of its present nominal strength. Only onehalf oft it would represent the hereditary principle pure and simple, and .that ihalf would be placed under conditions tending to stimulate reliance .upon something:more than Hereditary right. tThe other .half of the fjlouse would represent personal merit, -.character, distinction, or eminent. public services, whether in «n official or a non-official capacity. The committee believe that .in this way not only would the best men in the country be Drought together to give their attention to.legislation, but that at the same time there would be .-a great equalising of party > influence. All who read this report will,feel .that the question of the -reform of the .House of Lords has now reached a stage at which serious action has become possible.