The Week in Parliament

COMMONWEALTH (British Commonwealth of Nations)

The Lords-- P:Voted down 125 to 80, Lord Astor's perennially revamped bill to seat peeresses in the House of Lords. Last year this measure was defeated by only two votes. Last week many a peeress, seated in the visitors' gallery, blushed, during debate upon the bill, at the ribald remarks of many a peer:

Baron Newton: "Saving their graces, I do not think that the middle-aged ladies eligible for seats under this bill would prove a great attraction. If the proponents of the measure desire to entice sporting young peers back into this House through the lure of femininity, I suggest the admission of ladies of the chorus."

Earl Birkenhead. "Every member of this House knows that not one of the peeresses proposed for admission would be nominated by any competent tribunal to any legislative body at all. . . . Some of these ladies were made peeresses because otherwise there was no prospect of a male heir. Many of them have proved disappointing even from that standpoint. . . . The entire method of constituting the House of Lords ought to be changed, and when that is done women ought to be selected from the whole population of the country."

Baron Banbury: "For Heaven's sake let there remain one spot in England where a male may be at peace. . . . Besides women lack the qualifications to become legislators."

Viscount, Cecil: "My Lords, it would be a very weak woman who could not withstand the physical demands upon members of the upped House."

The Commons-- P:Applauded heartily a proposal Vernon Hartshorn, Welsh Laborite, suggesting a round table conference between Laborite and Conservative M. P.'s to settle the coal strike (TIME, May 10 et seq.). The Government promptly spiked this proposal. Sir Laming Worthington-Evans, Secretary for War, pointed out that no matter what was negotiated at the "round table" it would not be binding upon the miners, owners. Debate upon the Baldwin anti-strike legislation (TIME, June 28) was postponed. One million miners continued on strike.

P:Grew so riotous during debate upon a motion to break off relations with Soviet Russia, that the Speaker was obliged to announce temporary adjournment. Impassion keynoters:

Commander Locker -Lampson (Tory sponsor of the motion) : "The time has come to stop making freeborn Englishmen the helots of a slave State! . . .

"British merchants [who have gone to trade in Russia] have been beaten, wounded, blinded and murdered. There is sitting in the Gallery of this House, listening to this debate, Mr. Joseph Martin, who was blinded by Bolshevik torturers.

"The Soviet Government has abused its diplomatic rights and under the cloak of friendship has stabbed us in the back.

"There would not be a Communist Party in England today worthy of the name if it were not suckled with Soviet sheckles."

David Lloyd George: "I have here a little volume. It is the 'Blue Book,' issued a few days ago by the Home Office, and containing selections from documents seized last year upon the arrest of certain Communist leaders in London (TIME, Oct. 26). ... Its revelations are startling. At that time there were eight registered Reds employed by the London underground, and three in the London-General Omnibus repair shop. In works employing a total of 35,000 persons there were employed 239 Reds. According to these documents the highest number of Reds in any one factory was 21. ...

"A letter reproduced here purports to be an appeal from the British Communist party for more funds, because during the last half of 1923 the total support received from Moscow was only -L-150 a month ($750) . . .

"Will not my Right Honorable friends admit that these are insignificant numbers, trifling sums? . . . The Bolshevist Government is a terrible tyranny, but it is only a terrible tyranny which is efficient, substituted for a terrible tyranny which was both inefficient and corrupt. It is contrary to every principle of government to say that we must approve of the methods of the governments of all countries that we do business with..."

Sir Philip Richardson (Tory, shouting): "One thing is certain! Uncle Sam would never let the Bolshevists twist his tail as they twist the British Lion's!" (Laughter, jeers, whoops.)

Foreign Secretary Sir Austen Chamberlain (outlining the Cabinet's position): "The Soviet Government is something standing in a class by itself. It resembles the Government of no other country. It is not easy to maintain relations with it and it is impossible to say whether the relations which it maintains with other countries are either friendly or correct.

"If I were asked whether the trade agreement had been kept, I would answer that it has not.

"The Government does not think they would serve their own interests or the interests of the world by breaking off relations with Russia. But they do not think that they can enter upon any fresh agreements while the engagements of the Soviet Government already undertaken are daily and persistently broken under the shadiest and shabbiest of excuses."

J. J. ("Jumping Jack") Jones M. P. (Irrepressible Laborite, rising and waving his arms as other Laborites strove to howl down a Conservative who had the floor) : "Curfew shall not ring tonight!" Several Conservatives: "Order! Order!"

"Jumping Jack" Jones: "Order be damned!"

The Speaker: "Grave disorder having arisen, I now suspend the sitting."