The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-06
viii Decide Status Of the
House of Lords
FIRST OPENED BY GEORGE '
Formal State Function Occurs Today.
Liberal Party Has Many Impor-
tant Bills on Their Present
Programme

fTOKI6m"e
London, February ct Is understood
that King Georges speech at the open
ing of his first parliament today will be
a brief one, referring to the coronation,
the imperial conference and the Duke
of Connaught's Inauguration of the par
lament of the union of South Africa and
outlining the legislative programme which
will include the veto bill and measures
for dealing with workmens insurance,
plural voting, the payment of members
of the house of commons and possibly an
amendment to the aliens act as the out
come of the Hounds Ditch affair.
II is confirmed that Premier Asquith
will ask that the whole time of the house
until Easter be given to government
business and that nationaists and the
bulk of the liberals will support him,
the only dssenters being the laborites,
who want to push forward unmber of
Kills.
A notable absentee from the house OF
commons today will be Chancellor Lloyd
George, who is now in Naples, where he
probably will remain for another fort
night and perhaps longer His throat
trouble is proving Unexpectedly obstinate.
London February 5.-The new parlia-
ment, which will be the first opened In
state by George and Queen Mary. Will
be memorable also as the parliament To
decide the status of the house of lords,
and probably thereby make the greatest
change of a century in the British con-
stitution.
Parliament assembled Ia las>uesday, but
the state function was 1~fved for tomor-
row. There are many important meas
ures on the programme of the hperai
party-home rule for ireland, and pos
sibly "home rule all around; the abol-
ton of plural voting: disestablishment OF
the church in Wales; state insurance
against unemployment and illness on a
wholesale basis, and other extensive finan-
| cial schemes and possibly provision fof
the payment of members. But the ques
| tion of the lords will dominate and pre-
] cede all other matters and until II mas
been disposed of such other projects al
| home rule and disestablishment canno
| be taken up.
Government Policy
| The governments Immediate policy fol-
dealing with the lords is embodied In
what Is termed the parliament bill, more
commonly known as the veto BILL which
the prime minister introduced in the last
session. 1t practically wipes out the
power of the upper chamber to Kill leg
| islation from the commons by providing
| that any bill shall become law which
| the commons has sent to the lords Iot
three successive sessions dn period OF
| time not less than two years. and which
| has been three times rejected or not dis
posed of.
To insure the control of finance by the
commons and to settle the issue which
the lords raised when they rejected the
Lloyd George budget, the bill provides
that any money bill which the upper
chamber does not pass within one month
| after it is sent up from the lower mouse
shall, with the royal assent become law.
Authority Given Speaker
The speaker of the commons is given
| final authority to decide whether any
measure deals ONLY with taxation, APP
propriations and loans and is properly
money bill. The last and not least i'm
| portant provision reduces the life of a
parliament from seven years to five.
These provisions of the bill embody only
| part of the liberals programme regarding
the lords. In the preamble is the state
ment: "And whereas it is intended 10
substitute for the house of lords as 1t at
present exists, a second chamber consti-
tited on a popular instead of hereditary
| basis, but such substitution cannot be
Immediately brought into operation"
| On the part of the labor ana Irish
members objections to the preamble have
| been brought forward. These extreme
enemies of the lords are for a single
chamber government, ,MThey oppose the
| reform of the upper Mouse by changing
| IL to an elective body and would have
| the liberal party drop the preamble from
the bill There seems little doubt, how
ever, that the government will introduce
| the bill as it stands and that it will be
passed after comparatively short debate
! by the combined votes of liberal, labor
| and Irish members and sent up TO the
| lords for their action.
Lords Action Interesting
| When the lords receive the bill the
real interest of the struggle will begin.
Their policy is not yet disclosed nor even
| formulated.
| The lords adopted in the last parlia-
ment resolutions framed by Lords Lans-
downe and Roseberry. The former de-
ciared 'the lords prepared to forgo their
constitutional right to reject or amend
money Hills" and proposed the SET le-
lnent, by Joint session of the members
| from the two houses, of differences last
| ing through two sessions of a years IN
| ,eryal and that differences on matters
of great gravity be submitted to popu-
| lar referendum.
| Lord Roseberry's resolutions declared a
strong and efficient second chamber me-
| cessary and that the possession OF a
| neerage should not of itself give the right
| to a. seat. His suggestion was that hall
the chamber be composed of lords elected
| by their. own members. as the Scottish
members are chosen, the other half also
chosen by the lords. to consist OF emf
| nent representatives of commerce. the
| nrofessions and those who had held high
positions in the colonial. diplomatic, mill
| lary and other services.
| Against the plans of the peers the lib
erals charge that these would enable
Them to retain a permanent conservative
majority The liberal battle cry is FOL
on upper house before which liberal meas
| ures would stand as good a chance O.
| adoption as conservative measures.
R--r