Parliament's Week

(British Commonwealth of Nations)

House of Commons:

P:Foreign Secretary Austen Chamberlain made a long and important speech on foreign policy in relation to proposed peace measures on the Continent (see column 1).

P: Stanley Baldwin, Britain's first business Premier, continued to receive many congratulations on his speech quashing the Political Levy Bill. The London Times said, ". . . his success, which was very remarkable, was due at bottom to his own qualities, and in particular to that broad instinctive sanity--sometimes verging on sentiment, but never on pettishness--which always directs his outlook on national affairs."

It was somewhat extraordinary that the Premier, a stanch Conservative, should propose an innovation as startling as broadcasting the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament. It must have shocked a great many grey hairs at Westminster. It was no doubt that "instinctive sanity" which prompted him to remark that the radio would enable millions to hear the debates of the Houses; and surely, as a cynic put it, the "radio world" should not be deprived of listening to the rhetoric of the Premier.

At all events, the Premier announced that he contemplated creating a committee of both Houses to consider the broadcasting question.

P: Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill told the House that he was anxious to make a statement of the Government's intentions concerning the resumption of gold payments, but it was impossible to do so before the Easter recess. Secretary of War Sir Laming Worthington Evans said it was not a question of whether the country should return to gold, but whether it was safe to do so.

P: Estimates for the Singapore naval base were passed by 280 to 129 votes. The Government contended that it would prevent war, Colonel L. C. M. S. Amery, Secretary for the Colonies, declaring that enlargement of the base "would be one of the most friendly acts we could perform to the United States, which is in severe danger in the Philippines. It would insure peace in that part of the world for another 100 years." The Opposition, headed by ex-Premier Ramsay MacDonald, was of the opinion that the existence of a first-class naval base at Singapore was sure to lead to warfare between the white and yellow races.

P: Industrial depression was the gloomy subject of debate in the House. Ex-Premier George (Liberal) said the unemployment problem was worse than last year. Referring to Premier Baldwin's famed speech, designed to foster class cooperation, he said it was no use saying: " 'Little children love one another,' when one set has all the toffee and the other has none." Something more than words was needed, he declared.

House of Lords:

P: The Duke of Sutherland opened the question of the reform of the House.-- He advocated that the House be invested with powers similar to those enjoyed before the passage of the famous Parliamentary Act of 1911 and declared that reform of the House was the only way to prevent revolutionary changes in the event of the Labor Party coming into power in the future. He warned their assembled lordships that they had their last chance of reform.

P:The Earl of Oxford and Asquith, who, as Premier H. H. Asquith, passed the Parliament Act depriving the House of Lords of its power, agreed that reform was necessary, but cautioned the House against "protecting the people against their own representatives."

Lord Chancellor Viscount Cave, replying for the Government, said that a Cabinet committee is to examine the matter with a view to introducing reform legislation, but said that nothing could be done before next year.

*At present, the House of Lords is deprived of exercising a veto on money bills so signified by the Speaker of the House of Commons, is limited to a suspensory veto of two years over all other bills. The great suggestion is, How is an effective veto power to be restored? The Lords themselves are much divided on the problem.