Parliament's Week

The Lords--

P:Passed through second reading of the so-called "Ditch-the-Daredevils Bill" devised by austere Viscount Cecil of Clel-wood, famed 1924 winner of the $25,000 Woodrow Wilson Peace Award (TIME, Dec. 15, 1924).

In broaching his bill Lord Cecil said: "I speak for the young, the aged and the infirm. ... I beg this House to realize that the number of motoring accidents in the United Kingdom per 1,000 automobiles exceeds even the terrible ratio recorded in the United States. . . ."

As passed the "Ditch-the-Daredevils Bill" would empower municipalities "to construct shallow ditches transversally across important thoroughfares, so as to cause very serious inconvenience to any motorist proceeding at too great a rate."

P: Perfunctorily passed the Earl of Clarendon's resolution "that it is desirable that early steps be taken to reduce the number of members of this House."

The resolution was no more than a reminder to Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin that he has promised to "reform" the House of Lords by introducing measures calculated to define its now somewhat nebulous powers and to render it more exclusive by restricting the creation of new Peers.

It is thought that the latter step may be taken by having the King create only "Life Peers" whose titles and seats in the House of Lords would expire at death.

Although no British "reform" has been more often mooted than this, in recent years, the chance that action will be taken within the next twelve-month is nearly nil.

P: Sat restive under a tongue-lashing from the Earl of Clarendon (see above) who scathingly declared : "The members of this House may be divided into three classes. There are hundreds of permanent absentees, there are scores of peers who put in only a very occasional appearance, and there are a few dozen habitual attenders. The work of the House is neatly done by fifty or sixty persons. That is an indication of what little responsibility a large body of noble lords regard their duties in the House. Personally there are 200 or 300 backwoodsmen I could see got rid of with out the slightest pang. Many of them could be gotten rid of without their ever finding it out."

P: Repeatedly cried, "Hear! Hear! "when Viscount Sumner took the Earl of Clarendon severely to task for referring to Noble Lords who are habitually absent from the House as "backwoodsmen."

"I will be bold enough to say," thundered Lord Sumner, "that outside of the United States of America you will not find in the whole wide world one thousand persons better fitted to sustain and dis charge the public duties of a great country than in the peerage of the United Kingdom."

The Commons--

P: Raised and furiously debated a surprising number of extraneous issues when it was announced, last week, that Motor Man Henry Ford had invited Englishmen to associate their capital with his by offering to sell them 40% of the stock of the reorganized Ford Motor Co. Ltd. of England.

Every "reorganization" intelligent was M.P. knew that "merger" or this a move to threaten British motor makers; but simply an attempt by Mr. Ford to enhance the appeal of his "Made in England" motor cars by admitting insular Britons to a share in Ford profits. None the less petulant M.P.'s raised a rumpus.

Suave Edward Charles Grenfell, M.P. from the City of London, and a partner of John Pierpont Morgan (Morgan, Grenfell & Co., London), led the House of Commons' attack on last week's British issue of Ford Motor Ltd. stock.

Since the issue was perfectly legitimate, Mr. Grenfell was reduced to making a highly technical attack. He objected to the fact that Sir John Thomas Davies, who is the Director of the Suez Canal Co. and therefore associated with His Majesty's Government, is announced as a Director of the new British Ford Co.

With scathing and at times impressive innuendo, Banker Grenfell sought to convince the House that there was something suspicious or improper in the fact that Sir John Davies would simultaneously receive Ford dollars and enjoy proximity to the British Government.

Even those who thought the Grenfell innuendoes thin were impressed by the man Edward Charles Grenfell. His father was Governor of the Bank of England. His Great Grandfather was Governor of the Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation. He is the fourth of his name in direct line to be an M. P., and the third to be a director of the Bank of England. In London's busy "City" few tycoons are more potent.

P: Because the reorganized Ford Motor Co. Ltd. of England will give employment to thousands of Britons who need jobs badly, the Labor Party rallied last week to defend Motor Man Ford from the criticisms of Banker Grenfell M.P. Since Fords are everywhere rivaled by General Motor's products; and since J.P. Morgan & Co. of Manhattan have helped to finance General Motors, the Laborites thought that they saw a shrewd opening to flay London's Grenfell M.P. for having flayed Motor Man Ford in the House of Commons.

Cried Labor M.P. George Downie Blyth Crookston Hardie, ludicrously enough: "We all know that the Morgan's business seems to be chiefly to finance General Motors." Queried he shrewdly, "Was Grenfell's speech really made in order that General Motors might take a slap at Ford?"

The House of Commons, though interested and amused, prudently took no action.