THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (VISCOUNT CRANBORNE) (Lord Cecil)My Lords, you will have read with much regret in this morning's newspapers of the loss that this House has suffered by the death of Lord Amulree. Though Lord Amulree had reached the great age of eighty-two, no one who knew him would have ever ventured to describe him as "an old man". Indeed it was not until he was seventy years of age that he reached the zenith of his political career, when he entered the Cabinet in 1930 as Secretary of State for Air. The year before that he had entered your Lordships' House, no doubt as a mark of recognition of his services to the State, in particular as Chairman of numerous Committees centring, for the most part, around matters of first-rate importance in the industrial field—matters connected with arbitration and conciliation. For Lord Amulree was only in a very secondary sense a politician. He was never a strong Party man. He was always acceptable, therefore, as Chairman of bodies which were concerned with matters where there were grave controversial issues to be faced and settled. He was broad-minded—he was fairminded—and enjoyed general confidence and trust, that he would make 884 up his mind only after a really judicial study of the issues that had been brought before him. He is a grievous loss to your Lordships' House, and your Lordships, I am sure, will wish to be associated with me in expressing our sympathy with his bereaved son and daughter.
§ LORD NATHANMy Lords, on behalf of my noble friends I desire to associate myself with what has been said by the noble Viscount, the Leader of the House, about the late Lord Amulree. His services to the public interest, wide, varied and important, will be within the recollection of many of your Lordships, and my noble friends wish to be associated with the noble Viscount opposite in expressing sympathy with the relatives of the late Lord Amulree.
THE MARQUESS OF CREWEMy Lords, I should like on behalf of my noble friends here to associate myself with what has been said from both Front Benches. I entirely agree with the noble Viscount, Lord Cranborne, that the distinguishing mark of Lord Amulree's character was his very remarkable breadth of mind. We therefore join most heartily in the expression of sympathy with his relatives.
§ EARL DE LA WARRMy Lords, as one who worked in the closest political association with the noble Lord, Lord Amulree, for the last twelve years or so, I should like to be allowed to associate myself with the words which have fallen from the Leader of the House. The late Lord Amulree will be remembered by us as one who had wisdom and integrity of mind, and who had also until the very last the mind of a young man. In addition, he had a warm heart, a heart which made one feel, when working with him, that, although one was very much younger than he was, he could always understand one's most intimate political feelings. He will be a deep loss to all of us who have known him personally, a loss to this House and to the country.