BRITISH POLITICS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10163, 13 February 1911, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS

CABLENEWS United Press Association — By Electric Telegraph—Copyright^

REFORM OF HOUSE OF LORDS. A UNIONIST SUGGESTION. (Received Last Night, 5.5 o'clock.) LONDON, February 11. Lord Curzon, speaking at the United Club, said it would be the duty of the House of Lords to press for reasonable amendments of the I Parliament Bill, to rob the measure of some of the dangers it contained in its present form. The question of tie reform of the House of Lords had been crystallising in the Unionist Party for the last twelve months. There would be.no difficulty.if they w - ere called upon to embody their views in a. Bill. " . It was suggested that the Hou"se of Lords consist of three hundred members—one hundred picked from the present House'; fifty selected (. from ex-Cabinet Ministers and occupants of great.posts in the Dominions and dependencies; fifty appointed by the Prime Minister of the day by a certain number annu- | ally; and the remaining hundred . elected for a certain term on a democratic franchise, or nominated by local self-governing bodies, representing Counties or great centres of population. .THE RIGHT TO WORK. (Received February 11, 9 a.m.) ■..-■.'' LONDON,February 10. In the House of Commons,; a right-to-work, amendment to ithe'Address in-Reply was rejected by 223 votes to 69. •■.'.'.■' \;i:,\,p.)' ' ,'Mr John Burns, President ! ; :jpf- the Local Government Board, said the Government could not accept the Right-to-Work Bill, because it assumed that . unemployment was a simple single issue that could be met by a single principle. 4 The Government, he added, }[ believed that the measure would be inapplicable to the complex existing evils and would do the unemployed more harm than good. v •"■; PRIVATE BILLS. A WOMEN'S FRANCHISE BILL. (Received Last. Night, s.s'o'cloeb.)^: ■■ ' ' LONDON, February -11. | Sir G. Kemp, M.P. (Liberal) has secured the first place Private Bills with a measure conferring the franchise on women exclusively, on the line' of the householders' qualifi- j cation contained in Lord Roberts': notice'-of'motion. I ){.■■' Another' ' ~,-.,.. -.-a' bhter/pill;. ~■•'■'■.■' /Received-This Morning,, 12;20 o'clockLONDON" February 12. Mr Malcolm, a Unionist M.P., has' given notice that, on Wednesday he will move an amendment to the Ad-dress-in-Reply, thai; ail effective debate on the veto question will be seriously hampered by the obscure and conflicting declarations of Ministers relating- to■ Home Rutej-UiiwMch ■~-• :is, openly avowed as one 7 of the'rnain'' reasons ; , for .altering; the Cons#isu-: tion;i ' ".'; . .■..>&■■'.'•,•.- The Pall Mall Gazette a scheme which retained -the pre r dominance .of hereditary privileges . would be advocated under the great- \ est disadvantages. It suggests a I uniform principle of selection, eith-t ler by election from large constituencies,'by proportional representation, or by municipalitie >. i Mr' C. F. G. Masterman, M.P. j ; (Liberal),: ..speaJking at Stratford, Essex, Vaid the Parliament Bill would immediately follow- the Add- ■ ress-injteply. He added: "The Con- i servativea must swallow the pill, however bitter. The Bill is going to i pass the House of Lords, whether they like it or not, and it is hoped it will become law before the Coro- j I nation." ' j