There are others—wealthy men who have not'been too shy to apply to the Labour Government for titular reward of their merits. And of course the Government do urgently want more effective representation in the Upper House, as Mr. Clynes said to mo, is not numbers that we want. Our only object in making peers would be to get men competent to answer questions and handle bills." That is the difficulty.
George Barnes, the one-time secretary of the "Engineers, who was a member of the War Cabinet, has been suggested as the sort of man required. But Barnes has of late years detached himself from the Party, and, as Mr. Clynes said, "while many of us would welcome im as a colleague, I don't know that he would accept."
Happily there are other Trade Union leaders more definitely. pledged to support of the Labour Government, who are conspicuously, qualified to represent in the ito use of Lords a point of view which has never been expressed there, and an experience of the people's most habitual mode of life which ought to be voiced in the National Senat 'There is Mr. Clynes himself, Elder Brother now of Statecraft, 'There are men like Mr, Brownlie of the Engineers and Mr. Bevin, "the Workers' K.C.", Such mer have much to teach that our her= editary legislators ought to know; ind they have something to learn hich that historical museum might impart. There are writers too like' Mr. Tawney, Mr. Brailsford, and Mr. Nevinson, who know as' much the people's lives and needs some titled profiteers who wangled fortune out of Lancashire's ruin, and struttingly bring in winners on our racecourses, The suggestion will shock fine old Die-Hards like Dean Inge and Lord Banbury. But, alas, it is a shock. ing age.
Personally 1 am inclined to think that the House of Lords would be brightened, and brought into more ely contact with national interests than has yet been Indicated by Lord Parmoor or Lord Passfield, if its membership were extended' to Lord Jack Buchanan, Lord Kirkwood, and Lord Jack Jones. Tha advantage might be mutual, But T may be wrong.
'A phrenologist once told me that my head had a dent where the dump lof veneration ought to be.
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