1961-05-11 — Page 6

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THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1961.

CUBA

How I would reform the House of Lords

IT

By LORD LAMBTON, M.P.

なす

is quite common in the

penalised. politics for Members

of Parliament to join momentarily

together

while working for dif- ferent ends.

During the last few weeks I have found myself in this post- tion with Air Wedgwood Benn,

We have worked together to Try to persuade the Government to reform the House of Lords, but with different ends in view.

RELIEF

# hus bern his long-term

objective tu abolish two-cbam- ber governinend, whereas it has been mine to strengthen It,

Now that the Government has announced its plan to set Sleet Committee to disens the

HEIR TO THE EARL OF DURHAM

at the mumani

SIMPLE

This reform would meet the ease of 31: Wedgwood Bean J1 would allow him lo at in the of Commons and call Hous himself whatever he wanted to. Other Peers tel Peerusses would gain the right to vole which they have not got today.

At the Rome tinc us this I would greatly step up the num- her of life Peers, The right to erente any number of life Peer being inherent in the position of my Prime Minister, a Labour Leader would be able to create majority if he ever wished to

de so.

I would reform the House of Lords as simply as this.

not niret Mc Benn's would demand for renunciation as

could cause think this what ridiculous results.

ABSURD

some-

1

of

reformation of the House of Lords, I can sever our relation ship with something like a nigh of relief and was to a construc five approach of exactly what the he reforms should be.

1.t me give an example of

Te

Duke present 1 think,

dlways have thi and thought, important that two- Berclench is 66. He was before chataber government should br for succeeded, a Member of retained, and this the heredi. Parlament for 12 years.

Latt tary principle should play its a constructive, active man. part in it,

decided to us imagine that he take advantage of these new rules and stand for Parliment.

A REALITY

He i

1 to dere he had to rejounce his title it would descend to his son. Lord Dalkeith, who is of member of the House of Com- mons.

In conclusion I would say to there who would scoff at the kira of the retention of any part of the hereditary system That Chesterton, I think It was, once described the House

of

Lords as being democratic because it was just lpelt, the Juck of birth, that put different types of people there.

-This is wo, and it is in any constitution not a bad thing to hare a few disinterested ama- teurs to temper the sometimea biased opinion of an assembly of pure professionals,

-CLondon Express Service),

LAOS

Cummings

"If only the White House squatters were just pony-tailed disarmers in Jeans..."

London Express Service

EVEN IN THE MISTS OF THE REMOTE PAST, IT SEEMS, THE MOUNTBATTEN QUALITIES STAND OUT

An earl gives a lesson in the gentle art

of collecting royal ancestors

rent an avere of CASI write I have an imposing volume on the desk in front of

me. it is bound inconspicuously in blue. But in one retonne his title, would have respect at least it is utterly distinctive.

He in his turn, if he had to

is aged sevin.

I think it not a myth, but a reality, that 10 lo away blip- gether with the tradition of hereditary titles would isulate the Throne as the sole beredi- 1ry survivor of our past.

to use it to his "on Lord

Most of the books by well-known authors which I review on this Although the actual powers of the Queen have been eurbed Eskdalf who

would kaye the page make money for the men who write them. But the author of this almost to those of control of Thus you Ceremony, เส้น value

cummoners 450-page book had paid, perhaps, as much as £1,000 to have it printed. of the absurdity

thing in the House at Cen- Or Throne to the statenance

It is an account of the author's own lineage. the Commonwesth is of on in mort, while a little boy of seven beetne titular head of their portance beyond exaggeralien.

Tomily. However, 1 do not think that this difficulty need arise, for by the adoption of a part of the Scottish spoken, it woul Dalkeith reusel asclutely pussible to retain the tradition. but what right have they to b

What would suggest would be that the Peers should be divided into those who wish to serve constitutionally, and thuse who do not: that those who deelde to do so should form thramelves into a Court electing, Now, 50 to 100 ef their number, to represent them in the Buttse of Lords: and that those who alto

DE WO

We read that, according to his researches, one of his ancestors was It could be said that this case St Arnulf, a bishop who was born in A.D.582 and who married "a certain would not arise If both the Oda." Another was a lady saint-St Begga, who died in A.D.698, the Duke of Buccleuch or Lord

daughter of a Continental king called Pippin I.

slutely decide the future of a bay of seven?

conc

Endless complleations af entail and property which often with titles," would also alom1. In fact, 1 can 旨いい renunciation becoming a legal zightmore, and causing endless misithin to a plan of reforma in the Cominom and in the 211. both Perry and lards, which is why would Peerteses, should be freed from propose the simple answer that the Civil Disabilition by which i pin forward earlier.

MOANERS CORNER

Frankly, I'm of the same opinion, Iliggins. Nevertheless, I think it had beiter vend "Com plaible Vegertmena,"

Another ancestor from medle» val Europe was Heary the Mag- niticent (born 1478); another was Albert the Degenerate another was Albert the Fat.

But who is this author this DIT-Shoat of saintly and oddly- named slack" The book's life- page tell us. It states:-

by

Admiral of the Ficek The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, K.G., P.C., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., G.C.LE. G.C.V.O., D.S.O.. LL.D. D.C.L... D.Sc.

The earl's book is a work of intense scholarship. Devotedly he teates every remote tendril and twig 15 A family tree which, over 13 centuries, hat spread like Virginia creeper over the face of Europe.

by ROBERT PITMAN

with his learned

An equally picus Mountbatten 30 crowded relation was another Elizabeth, friends that he tons obliged to wy!y married! Grand Duke rent another part of the Tower Sörging Alexandrovitch uf to accommodate them," Russin in 1881. The ear) writes: "

"She was revered almost as saint in Russis; nevertheless

Curious plan

- century

This eighteenth or perhaps on this account- Mountbatten tried out the she was assassinated In the Russlan Revolution by being curious plan of traluing stags. instead of horses to draw his thrown, while still alive, into a coach. A painting at Broad- disused mine-shaft. - - .'

lands shows the antlered team The body of Grand Duchess drawing him. But there were Elizabeth was smuggled out of snags to this early Mountbatten the Russian mine-shaft by her experiment:-- followers to an Orthodox chapel in Peking. Later was muved yet again and buried on the Mount of Olives outside Jeru-

It is full of curious stories. Such is the story of his on-salem. cestress Elizabeth, born in 1207, daughter of the King of Hun- gary.

'Revered'

of their

Though he clearly delights in his ancestors the eari is also ready to rebuke them when they fall below standard,

Earl Mountbatten, as President of the Ovorson League handing over

an official document, the Letters Patent, to the Chairman, Sir Angus Gillan, The ceremony took place at St James' Folace on the occasion of the league's Golden Jubiler.

once

again how the

Striking

The

eari

come

One regret

The final entry given in the

among

He calls it "an act utterly out marriage. Sa she succeeded to from the airfield of keeping with his character the Throne as a Mountbatten the ping trees.

but on April 9, on the fornigl "While being hitched to the He tells

and insistent advice of the The pilot's task was hard. He (Sir Winston was not only carrying the Head chariot all dogs had to be shut Queen reacted to the "staggering Prime Minister"

and records with satis Churchill), she changed her of Stale. He was carrying the up as the stags could not abide news" them. During the rutting season faction that this mariage of a

name to Windsor. So the Head of State's luggage tog used to roar the slags

and Mountbatten ancestor to

House of Mountbatten only which the Head of State had all his was promptly dis-

but insisted should contain reigned for two months But it

earl's male become so wild that they could commoner Is the

solved. not be kitched up."

its place full-dress uniforms. who dominste

historically it takes ancestors

this blue-bound volume,

As a result the plane did not among the reigning houses of the United Klipdom."

lift high enough. It struck a tree. And oddly, again and again,

The pilot survived, but his even in the mists of the remote

important passenger General past they appear, in Earl

Sanjuro, Head of the newly account, to dis-

has abso

declared Nationalist Biote of Elizabeth's husband, the Land- Mountbatten's

conuments on his Take, for example, his ances- striking grave Louis IV of Thuringlo, play some marked Mountbatten

Spain, was burned to death. pre Interested tor Louls IV of Hesse. 1t is modern relatives. In a possage was as harsh to his subjects as qualities. They

Eventually one of his fellow- his wife was kind. Once he in technical matters. They do well known how, when Queen on Prince Philip ("on February earl's history which is entitled

revolutionaries took his place, Victoria was attending wedding 22, 1957, the omlation to create THE MOUNTBATTEN ordered her to reveal what she things on the grand scale.

LINE HIS nome was Franco. One was Henry, Earl of celebrations in the State, Louis him a Prince was repaired by an AGE, is: "43rd/440h carrying

Genera- This little-known incident is isile. It was, in fact, bread Northumberland, friend of Sir suddenly took it into his head Order in Cound") it is used tion: Charles, Prince of Wales, told in a brilliant now book, for the poor families ruled by Walter Raleigh and known as to marry his own mistress, that he ought by rights to have ...He is the eldest child of THE SPANISHI CIVIL WAR, by

been made a Prime at his wed. Philip Mountbatten, the Landgrave; but legend says the "Wizard Earl" because of Alexandrine von Kofeinine.

Duke of Hugh Thomas (Eyre and Spot- ding in 1047.

Edinburgh, and of Queen Eliza Recode, 429.). that God, to protect

Thomas com- FL is also well known that

Victoria. in

Another passage Is concerned beth II of the United Kingdom, ments that Sanjuro was "a view 1 гане, the Tower for nearly 10 years Queen

fin of his own sartorial vanity tu him

cancel the with the Queen's sumame: Ilead of the Commonwealth. The earl's book mentions that under suspicion of complietty ordered

rather than of Republican for Flot. But wedding.

"Princess Elizabeth legally took this medieval pre-Mountbatten in the Gunpowder

"For the first three and a half even Grueral Franco's) rabot- Usually this is described as her husband's namie, Mount-

years of his life his surname was age." was later canonised by the Pope Imprisonment did not cramp his

amazingly high-banded on her batten, on marriage, for there

The author's eye for such and adds: "A fragment of the style. We read:-

"In the Tower he kept open part. Earl Mountbatten, how was no legal provision for any Mountbatten, like his father, but wedding drens St Elizabeth wore

on 9th April, 1952, kis name was episodes makes his survey of the for men of Tearning, ever, is still clearly distressed female, not even an heir pre- changed to Windsor

Spanish tragedy more then a in 1227 is preserved at Broad- table

Dy unt at the Queen's role but at sumptive to the Throne, to Mouribatten's especially mathematicians.

work of massive, lands,"

objective (Earl

retain her maiden name on

Thus 1614 the Martin Tower became the bridegroom's.

ends the chief section scholarship. IL 13 home).

Intensely of a fascinating voluine. But readable too. for me there is one regret, The 1 also recommend NOW title page states: "Prepared for SLEEPS THE CRIMSON private circulation."

PETAL, by H. E. Bates. A daw collection of short stories-sad, The preparation of history In

the most touchlag, ironic, lusty by a perhaps

master of the immensely difficult extraordinary and

art of writing simple proso achievement of an extraordinary (Michael Joseph, 158.).

The Elizabeth his obsession with science.

from her husband's anger, Wizard Eart was imprisoned in

changed the bread into roses.

A

FLOATING METAL FIND

Washington.

MIRACLE metal that is tougher than stainless steel but so light it will float has brought mankind a giant step closer to the era of routine space flight, say U.S. space scientists.

The metal-beryllium-has,

been known to relotists for caused boryllium to be 100 some time, but to extremely | Grille to be rolled.

IS IDEAL

FOR SPACE

mon.

this

massive

It is a pity that the result should not be available

to the public. It ought to sell BOOKS OF THE WEEK

as briskly as the latest Ian Fleming.

brittle quality has made it of A new company already has right times that of magnesium, Moreover, is high strength and How Gen. Franco

Umited value.

melting point (2,340 bern formed to make beryllium four times that of aluminium, high

three Umes that of titanium, degrees F.) make it ideal for The major break through by this method at Aotation and ono and a half times that space ships, which has Pentagon scientists miji In Colorado.

The chiot of stainless steel.

Cloaning out

Lighter

cont

፡

The miracle metal already is

in some being used

atomic:) engítico as a thin coating · over

became boss

HERE, based on reports from booksellers all over Britain

is my list of the week's best sellers

FICTION:

THE CHAPMAN REPORT by Irving Wallace (Arthur Barker, 186.).

THUNDERBALL by Ion Fleming (Jonathan Cape, 18.). THE DEAN'S WATOR by (Hodder & London axpram Kurobes),

| celebrating is in the method of customer: the U.S. Department

producing beryliltum.

of Driened.

The Franklin Insuluto of Philadelphia, which also hoo In addition, beryllium to about uranium rods, thus replacing a THE little plane carrying

lighter

THE Jittle plane carrot Elizabeth Boudre Called "roth-ditation," the been studying the tricky metal, 85 per

than coaling pf zirconium that process cleans out all or the has revealed that in N pure aluminium and 72 per Impuritie

elasticity is Ughter "Then ... stainless which formerly form berylliura's

VILAN

conf many "tirone thicker.

-rikenden Ezprata service),

struggled slowly upwards

Stoughton, 1838