Lords Sitting of 1 April 1913

Preamble
The LORD CHANCELLOR acquainted the House, That the Clerk of the Parliaments had laid upon the Table the Certificates from the Examiners that the Standing Orders have not been complied with in respect of the petitions for additional provision in the following Bills:
Lothian Railways [H.L.]
London County Council (General Powers).
The same were ordered to lie on the Table.

BRIGHTON CORPORATION BILL. [H.L.]
GOVERNESSES BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION BILL [H.L.]
OXFORD UNIVERSITY (ST. EDMUND HALL AND GATCOMBE RECTORY) BILL. [H.L.]
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA CORPORATION BILL. [H.L.]
LEEDS CORPORATION BILL.[H.L.]
Reports from His Majesty's Attorney-General received and ordered to lie on the Table.

RICHMOND (SURREY) ELECTRICITY SUPPLY.
Petition of the Richmond (Surrey) Electric Light and Power Company, Limited, under their Common Seal, praying for leave to bring in a Bill to confirm an agreement relating to the supply of electricity in the Borough of Richmond (Surrey), and for other purposes; together with a copy of the proposed Bill annexed thereto; read, and referred to the Examiners.

ELY VALLEY GAS AND ELECTRICITY BILL. [H.L.]
LOTHIAN RAILWAYS BILL. [H.L.]
(Petition for additional Provision.)
Examiner's Certificates of non-compliance with the Standing Orders referred to the Standing Orders Committee on Thursday the 10 th instant.
METROPOLIATAN RAILWAY BILL. [H.L.]
CITY AND SOUTH LONDON RAILWAY BILL. [H.L.]
CENTRAL LONDON RAILWAY BILL. [H.L.]
LONDON ELECTRIC RAILWAY BILL. [H.L.]
METROPOLITAN DISTRICT RAILWAY BILL.[H.L.]
WIMBLEDON AND SUTTON RAILWAY BILL. [H.L.]
Report from the Committee of Selection, That the Lord de L'Isle and Dudley and the Lord De Manley be proposed to the House as Members of the Select Committee on the said Bills in the place of the Viscount Templetown and Lord Mostyn; read, and agreed to.
GRAYS AND TILBURY GAS BILL. [H.L.]
GREENOCK HARBOUR (CONSTITUTION, &c.) BILL.[H.L.]
GREENOCK PORT AND HARBOURS BILL.[H.L.]
IPSWICH DOCK BILL. [H.L.]
HOVE CORPORATION BILL. [H.L.]
Report from the Committee of Selection, That the Lord Vaux of Harrowden be proposed to the House as a Member of the Select Committee on the said Bills in the place of the Lord Northbourne; read, and agreed to.

NATIONAL INSURANCE ACT, 1911.
1. Regulations, dated 28th Mara, 1913, made by the insurance Commissioners, entitled the National Health Insurance (Transfer from Voluntary to Employed Rate) Regulations, 1913;

2. Regulations, dated 19th March, 1913, made by the National Health Insurance Joint Committee and the Insurance Commissioners acting jointly, entitled the National Health Insurance (Collection of Contributions (Exempt Persons)) Regulations (England), 1913;

3. Regulations made by the Scottish Insurance Commissioners established under the Act as to appeals and disputes under Section 67 of the Act, dated 19th March, 1913;

4. Regulations made by the Irish Insurance Commissioners as to notices by Employers under Section 47 (2):

Laid before the House (pursuant to Act) and to be printed. (No. 7.)

FERRIES (ACQUISITION BY COUNTY COUNCILS) BILL. [H.L.]
A Bill to enable County Councils to acquire existing Ferries by agreement—Was presented by the Viscount Hill (for the Lord Monckton (V. Galway)); read 1a; to be printed; and be read 2aon Monday the 14th instant. (No. 8.)
APPELLATE JURISDICTION BILL. [H.L.]
A Bill to make further provision with respect to the number and duties of Lords of Appeal in Ordinary and with respect to the constitution of the Court of Appeal and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council—Was presented by the Lord Chancellor; read 1a, and to be printed. (No. 9.)

HIS LATE MAJESTY THE KING OF THE HELLENES.
*THE LORD PRIVY SEAL AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (THE MARQUESS OF CREWE): My Lords, I have the honour to move that an humble Address be presented to His Majesty expressing the indignation and sorrow of this House at the assassination of the King of the Hellences, and I shall also move that a similar Address be presented to Her Majesty Queen Alexandra. It is barely a year, my Lords, since I had the honour of moving a similar Address to His Majesty and one to Queen Alexandra on the occasion of the death of the King of Denmark, and now we are face to face with a still more sudden and dreadful calamity in the assassination of the King of Greece. Our first thought, I think, must be in relation to the loss suffered by Queen Alexandra—that this event produces one more gap in the gradually dwindling circle of the illustrious family of Denmark. We offer, therefore a special weed of condolence to Her Majesty Queen Alexandra at this further addition to the burden of sorrow which Her Majesty has had to bear since her great and irreparable loss of three years ago. My Lords, the King of the Hellenes and many members of his family have been well known in this country. Since His Majesty ascended the Throne of Greece almost 50 years ago, at the early age of 18, he led a life of hard work in that country—a life surrounded

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with not a few anxieties. He reigned over that remarkable people, having to face not a few serious misunderstandings and some actual crises in his government of the country. But it was generally recognised there, as it was all over Europe, that he genuinely desired the good and the progress of his people, and there can be no doubt that the people of Greece recognised the peculiar advantage as regards their international relations which was given to the King by his close family connection with three of the Great Powers of Europe. It is true that for two centuries and more the marriages of Dynasties have not played the part which they used in ancient historical times in framing the policy of nations. But at the same time everybody must have realised that those family connections gave the King a most valuable insight in respect to international relations into the thoughts and feelings of other countries, and that also he thereby won the sympathy and understanding of the Governments and of the peoples of the great States with which he was thus connected. And now, my Lords, at the conclusion of a great contest, he has been laid low by the meaningless act of an obscure assassin. But His Majesty has left behind him the memory of a long career of hard work and a reputation for that dauntless courage which has distinguished all members of his House. In presenting the sympathy of this House to His Majesty the King and also to Her Majesty Queen Alexandra we should all desire, I am sure, to express the hope that the future reign of His Majesty King Constantine of the Hellenes, who has been so conspicuous a figure in the course of the recent war, may be long and prosperous, and that he and his people may enjoy many years of peace after the trying and agitating experience which they have passed through during the last few months. I beg to move.
Moved, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty to express the indignation and deep sorrow of this House at the great loss which His Majesty has sustained by the assassination of his Majesty the King of the Hellenes, and to condole with His Majesty on this melancholy occasion; to assure His Majesty that this House will ever feel the warmest interest in whatever concerns His Majesty's domestic relations, and to declare the ardent wishes of this House for the happiness of His Majesty and of His Family.—(The Marquess of Crewe.)
THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE: My Lords, it is inevitable upon these sad occasions that little should remain to be said by the member of your Lordships' House to whom is entrusted the task of seconding an Address of this kind, and, indeed, the Motion which the noble Marquess has made and the speech in which he has recommended it to your Lordships' House express, so it seems to me, adequately and appropriately the sentiments which are entertained on both sides of the House alike. My Lords, it is unnecessary that I should dwell upon the abhorrence with which we all of us regard this crime. There is, perhaps, just this redeeming feature in the case, that while we desire to give utterance to our reprobation of that which the noble Marquess well described as a meaningless act, we are not obliged to extend our censure to others. So far as we know, the criminal, and the criminal alone, was responsible for this deplorable deed. We have become in recent years only too familiar with crimes of this description. This crime is perhaps singular in one respect, that the catastrophe overtook the late King of Greece at the very moment when his people might well have acclaimed him as a Sovereign who, after a reign extending nearly to half a century—a reign during which His Majesty had displayed remarkable qualities of patience, courage, and perseverance—had been able to bring about a revival in the fortunes of his country which cannot fail to mark an epoch in its history—an epoch which will always be honourably connected with the name of the late King. My Lords, we can be in no doubt that the feelings of respect which the people of Greece entertained towards his late Majesty will be continued to his successor, who commences his reign with every prospect of popularity and success. It is in these sad circumstances that we desire to offer our sympathy to the subjects of the late King, who are now mourning him so deeply. We desire to offer a like condolence to our own King, from whom has been taken by the hand of the assassin a brother Sovereign, a near kinsman, and a personal friend; and there are other Royal mourners who are present to our thoughts at this time. But most of all, our thoughts go out towards Queen Alexandra, to whom the noble Marquess proposes to move a special Address. It is only a few days ago that, on the occasion of the debate on the Address to His Majesty, at the beginning of the session, we had occasion to speak of

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the great burden of sorrow which Fate had thrown upon Her Majesty's shoulders. How little we thought on that occasion that this new and tragical addition was to be made to that already heavy burden!We all of us pray that Her Majesty may be given strength and courage to bear this new trial. There are some of us who are aware that even in the midst of the distraction of her own great sorrow Her Majesty has been able to evince for the troubles of others the same tender solicitude which she has never failed to exhibit in the past, and which has so greatly endeared her to her people. I beg to second.
On Question, Motion agreed to, nemine dissentiente: Ordered, That the said Address be presented to His Majesty by the Lords with White Staves.
THE MARQUESS OF CREWE: I beg to move, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty Queen Alexandra to express the deep sorrow with which this House has learned of the death of His Majesty the King of the Hellenes, and to condole with Her Majesty on this melancholy occasion; and to assure Her Majesty that this House will ever feel the warmest interest in whatever concerns Her Majesty's domestic relations.
THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE: I beg to second.
Moved accordingly, and, on Question, Motion agreed to, nemine dissentiente: Ordered, That the said Address be presented to Her Majesty by the Duke of Devonshire, the Marquess of Lincolnshire, the Lord Welby, and the Lord.Redesdale.

FORGERY BILL. [H.L.]
[SECOND READING.]
Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
THE LORD CHANCELLOR (VISCOUNT HALDANE): My Lords, this Bill purposes to consolidate and simplify the great mass of enactments relating to forgery and kindred offences. The Bill has already been before your Lordships in the last session of Parliament, and should you
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assent to its Second Reading to-day I propose to move that it be referred to a Joint Committee of both Houses in order that its provisions may be investigated.
Moved, That the Bill be now read 2a.—(The Lord Chancellor.)
On Question, Bill read 2a.
Then it was moved, "That it is desirable that the said Bill be referred to a Joint Committee of both Houses of Parliament" (The Lord Chancellor); agreed to: Ordered, That a Message be sent to the Commons to communicate this Resolution and desire their concurrence thereto.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.
THE MARQUESS OF CREWE: My Lords, I understand that there is no business on the Paper, and that there is not likely to be any urgent business from the House of Commons demanding our attention here at any rate during the next ten days. Therefore, if your Lordships agree, I would move that the House should adjourn, except for Judicial and Private Bill business, until Monday, April 14.
THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE: When does the noble Marquess propose to take the Army (Annual) Bill?
THE MARQUESS OF CREWE: I am informed, that the Bill will reach this House about the date which I have mentioned, and therefore it would come up for consideration, I presume, in the course of that week.
Moved., That no sitting of the House for Public Business he held before Monday, April 14.—(The Marquess of Crewe.)
THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE signified his assent.
On Question, Motion agreed to.
House adjourned at five minutes before Five o'clock, till To-morrow, half-past Ten o'clock.