critical division on. the ines Bill have considerably lessened owing to the decision, reached at a meting of the Liberal Parliamentary Party, to abstain from voting with the Conservatives on vital amendments, in order not to embarrass the Government during the Five-Power Naval Conference.
The decision applies to to-morrow's Jdivision only. The Liberal Party reserves freedom of action when the Bill comes up for the third reading.
Mar. 20.
In the House of Commons to-day, the leader of the Liberal Party, Mr. Lloyd George, announced that his Party would not participate further the amendments in the committee stage of the Coal Mines Bill, be-Jeause any hostile action on the part} of the Liberals at the present time would critically affect the state of the Five-Power Naval Conference.
He said he understood that the fate of the Conference was hanging in the balance, and that it wae a matter of life or death. Therefore, he added, the Liberat Party did not feel] that it ought to undertake the responsibility for defeating the Govern. ment or even putting them in a humiliating position.
As a result of the abstention: of the Liberal Party, the House of Commons this afternoon rejected, by 274 votes to 229, the Conservative; amendment proposing to remove the! power to fix the minimum price for! each class of coal.
'The consideration of the Coal! 'Mines Bill in the committee stage' was, completed in the House, of Commons to-day—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.