During the course of the debate, several Labour members expressed resentment at the refusal of Government spokesmen to accept their version of the hardships which, they contended, the unemployment' assistance regulations would inflict. hhis speech, Sir John Simon declared that the criticism of the Opposition had been concentrated on the means test, but to two out of every three Persons who would be affected the means test' was quite irrelevant, since they had no resources Concerning the scales themselves, the Home Secretary said the changes made in the new regulations numbered seven altogether. Every change was in the direction of improving the position of an applicant. The scales themselves had attracted very little attention in the debate, and the reason, he suggested, was that the Opposition realized that reasonable and sensible people would not be [Prepared to oppose them, 'The House rejected, by 308 votes to 163, a Labourite amendment protesting against the inadequacy of the new unemployment allowances, 'The last Government spokesman, Lieut.-Col. A. J. Muirhead, Parliamentary Secretary to the' Ministry of Labour, was interrupted by heck-Ying and cat-calls, and he finally abandoned his speech with the remark: "We commend, the regulations to the House because they are good and also because, under the present Government, their foundations are secure."
The closure was then carried, and the House adjourned—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.