Lords Sitting of 11 May 1915

Preamble
The LORD CHANCELLOR The LORD CHANCELLOR acquainted the House, That the Clerk of the Parliaments had laid upon the Table the Certificates from the Examiners that the further Standing Orders applicable to the following Bills have been complied with:

Seaforth and Sefton Junction Railway.

Bury and District Joint Water Board.

Methodist Church in Ireland.

Also the Certificates that the Standing Orders have not been complied with in respect of the Petitions for the following Bills:

London and North Western Railway (Redeemable Stock).

Port of London Authority.

London Electric Railway Companies Facilities.

The same were ordered to lie on the Table.

LONDON AND NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY (REDEEMABLE STOCK) BILL.
(Petition for Bill.)
PORT OF LONDON AUTHORITY BILL.
(Petition for Bill.)

LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL (GENERAL POWERS) BILL.
(Petition for additional Provision.)
Examiner's Certificates of non-compliance with the Standing Orders referred to the Standing Orders Committee on Tuesday next.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROVISIONAL ORDERS (No. 1) BILL.
Reported, with Amendments, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House To-morrow.
LONDON, CHATHAM, AND DOVER RAILWAY BILL.
Reported, without amendment.
GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY BILL.
Reported, with an Amendment.
METROPOLITAN DISTRICT RAILWAY BILL.
Reported, with Amendments.
ASCOT DISTRICT GAS AND ELECTRICITY BILL.
Reported, without amendment.

DONCASTER CORPORATION BILL.
BLYTH HARBOUR BILL.
Reported, with Amendments.

GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY BILL.
Reported, with an Amendment.
PRESCOT GAS BILL. [H.L.]
Reported, with Amendments.

STREATLEY AND GORING BRIDGE BILL.
Committee to meet on Tuesday next.
HALIFAX CORPORATION BILL. [H.L.]
SOUTH SHIELDS CORPORATION BILL. [H.L.]
WEST GLOUCESTERSHIRE WATER BILL. [H.L.]
ABERDARE URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL (TRAMWAYS, &c.) BILL. [H.L.]
SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE WATER BILL. [H.L.]
Read 3a, and passed, and sent to the Commons.

COPYRIGHT (BRITISH MUSEUM) BILL.
Brought from the Commons; read 1a; to be printed; and to be read 2a To-morrow (The Lord Strachie). (No. 62.)
FUGITIVE OFFENDERS BILL.
Brought from the Commons; read 1a to be printed; and to be read 2a To-morrow (The Lord Islington). (No. 63.)
MARRIAGE OF BRITISH SUBJECTS BILL.
Brought from the Commons; read 1a to be printed; and to be read 2a To-morrow (The Lord Islington). (No. 64.)
POLICE (EMERGENCY PROVISIONS) BILL.
Brought from the Commons; read 1a; to be printed; and to he read 2a Tomorrow (The Viscount Allendale). (No. 61.)
STATUTORY COMPANIES (REDEEMABLE STOCK) BILL.
Brought from the Commons, read 1a, and to be printed. (No. 65.)
CALEDONIAN RAILWAY ORDER CONFIRMATION BILL.
Brought from the Commons; read 1a; to be printed; and (pursuant to the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) Act, 1899), deemed to have been read 2a (The Lord Stanmore), and reported from the Committee. (No. 66.)

TRAMWAYS PROVISIONAL ORDERS BILL.
Brought from the Commons; read 1a; to be printed; and referred to the Examiners. (No. 67.)
BARNOLDSWICK URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL WATER BILL.
CHELMSFORD CORPORATION GAS BILL.
DEWSBURY CORPORATION BILL.
FRIENDS' PROVIDENT INSTITUTION BILL.
METROPOLITAN WATER BOARD BILL.
RHONDDA URBAN DISTRICT COUNCIL (TRAMWAYS EXTENSIONS, &c.) BILL.
SOUTHEND WATER BILL.
Brought from the Commons, read 1a, and referred to the Examiners.

LIVERPOOL CORPORATION BILL.
Returned from the Commons, with the Amendment, agreed to.

THE DARDANELLES.
THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE: My Lords, with the permission of the noble Marquess opposite I wish to ask him a Question of which I have given him private notice. It is whether he is able to give us any further information with regard to the progress of operations in the Dardanelles.
THE LORD PRIVY SEAL AND SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (THE MARQUESS OF CREWE): My Lords, I am obliged to the noble Marquess for giving me notice of his intention to ask this Question, and I will give him what information I can although it is not very copious in amount. The noble Marquess will remember that a few days ago an official communiqué was issued, I think from the Admiralty, stating the general trend of the operations down to the time of its publication; and I am able to supplement that by some information received from the General in command, Sir
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Ian Hamilton, stating what happened down to Thursday last.
On the night of May 2 there was a violent attack by the enemy all along the line held by us, and fighting went on from 8 p.m. to midnight. The attack was repulsed with, on that occasion, inconsiderable loss to us and heavy loss to the enemy. Their reserves came under the searchlight which was working with the French 75-millimetre guns, with the result that they suffered very heavily. On every succeeding night up to the 6th the enemy renewed the attacks, but they diminished in intensity and on each occasion were repulsed without difficulty and a certain advance was made by our troops. During the whole of this time the positions as we gained them were strengthened and consolidated and further supplies were brought up. It is reported that in front of the position occupied by the 29th Division a very large number of dead of the Turks were found, and some company states were picked up which showed that the losses of the enemy were very heavy indeed. The French on their side gained an important point on the left, and are stated to have inflicted with the bayonet very heavy losses on the enemy.
The operations all through have been supported by the Fleet, but there is no special information to give as yet from the naval point of view, although the Fleet has been rendering, as before, most valuable assistance to the land operations. The Australians and New Zealanders have also been engaged, and have fulfilled a most important function in containing powerful forces of the enemy towards the narrow neck of the Peninsula. That, I think, is all the information that I am in a position to give the noble Marquess. But if before we rise for the recess I am able to make a further statement, I shall be happy to do so.
THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE: Am I right in understanding the noble Marquess to say that the information which he has just given carries us up to the night of the 5th instant?
THE MARQUESS OF CREWE: Yes.
THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE: And that there is no later information?
THE MARQUESS OF CREWE: That is so.

THE SHOOTING OF BRITISH PRISONERS.
VISCOUNT MIDLETON: My Lords, I rise to ask the noble Marquess a Question of which I have given him private notice—namely, whether His Majesty's Government have any further information regarding the statement furnished by His Majesty's Minister at The Hague as to the order given by Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria in reference to the shooting of British prisoners, and what steps His Majesty's Government propose to take with regard to the gross violation of the usages of war disclosed in that communication.
THE MARQUESS OF CREWE: The noble Viscount will remember that this communication was received in the form in which it was published through an official source. He will therefore understand that we have no other confirmation of the statements which were made by the German soldiers who gave the information to our representatives, but we have no reason—as, indeed, the noble Viscount will have gathered from the manner in which the information was conveyed to us—to doubt the authenticity of the statements or to question their truth.
As regards the latter part of the noble Viscount's Question—as to what steps it is proposed to take—I would refer him to a reply which was given by the Prime Minister yesterday to the hon. Member for the Carmarthen Boroughs in another place. That hon. Member asked what steps, having regard to the continued breaches of The Hague Convention by the Germans—and then he gave a list, beginning with the poisoning of wells in Africa and proceeding through all the items which are only too well known to us—what steps it was proposed to take, and whether the Government intend to continue to allow Germany to pray in aid the articles of The Hague Convention when it suits her purpose. The Prime Minister replied that Germany began the war by a flagrant breach of a Treaty, and it has since been carried on by her with continual disregard of the previously accepted rules and conventions of warfare. In the Prime Minister's opinion there is no object in approaching neutral Governments unless and until the latter are prepared to take some action in the matter, and he expressed the hope that neutral nations generally are growing more and more sensible to what is involved in these actions,
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and are beginning to realise that the issues affect the whole of the civilised world and the future of humanity. I do not know that I can add anything to what was here expressed by the Prime Minister.
I recollect that in the quite early days of the war, speaking of the invasion of Belgium and the atrocities that accompanied it, I expressed the opinion that sooner or later, by one means or another, those who were guilty of such acts would have to pay for them, and pay to the uttermost farthing. Many things have happened since then to confirm me, and I believe also others, in that opinion. Of the particular form which such payment must take it is, I am sure, premature to attempt to speak; and in some ways I think the less said the better in the direction of expressing intentions, and still less is it desirable to utter anything in the nature of threats. There are various possibilities, some of which have been mooted in debate, which would occur to any of us of the manner in which those responsible may in the long run be called to account. Suggestions have been made, at any rate with regard to some of these breaches of the conventions of war, of various forms of pecuniary indemnity. Others have suggested that whenever the terms of peace come to be decided these things will not be forgotten. Others, again, have expressed the hope that individuals, especially those who must be held to be ultimately the most responsible, may have to give personal account of what has happened. I will not attempt to discuss those possibilities or to express any opinion, either on my own behalf or on that of the Government, as to what course it may be well to pursue, or which, if any, of those alternatives it may be preferable to take. But I do most confidently repeat the opinion that before it is all over, proved excesses either of this kind or of many others which have occurred, will have to be paid for, and paid for, as I said, to the uttermost farthing.

CONSOLIDATION BILLS.
Message from the Commons that they concur in the Resolution of this House communicated to them on the 4th instant.
Moved, That a Committee of Five Lords be appointed to join with a Committee of the House of Commons to consider all Consolidation Bills of the present Session (The Lord Chancellor); agreed to.
The Lords following were named of the Committee—

E. Harrowby.

E. Loreburn.

L. Parmoor.

L. Sanderson.

L. Wrenbury.

Ordered, That such Committee have power to agree with the Committee of the House of Commons in the appointment of a Chairman.
Then a Message was ordered to be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint them therewith, and to request them to appoint
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five members of that House to join with the said Committee, and to propose that the Committee do meet in Committee Room A on Monday next, at half-past Three o'clock.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA BILL. [H.L.]
Referred to the Joint Committee on Consolidation Bills, and a Message ordered to be sent to the Commons to acquaint them therewith.
House adjourned at five minutes before Five o'clock, till Tomorrow, a quarter past Foul o'clock.