13 NOVEMBER 1936, Page 3

Apart from armaments the details of the Public Order Bill,

which will be debated on Monday, are the main preoccupation of Members. I believe the measure may receive a second reading without a division, but that does not mean that amendments will not be strenuously pressed in Committee. The chief attack is likely to be concentrated on the second part of the Bill, which .deals with the maintenance of public order at meetings. Many Members by no means confined to the Bight believe that the danger of disorder at public meetings, which after all was the excuse for the recruitment of the Fascist army, is not, even with the proposed legislation, adequately safeguarded. They will demand that the onus of prosecution for " offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace " at public meetings should be laid on the police and not on the organiser of the meeting, as is at present suggested in the Bill. Powers already exist under the Public Meetings Act for this purpose, but it is argued that the reason that they have so seldom been employed is the very natural reluctance of the organisers of meetings to use them. It is contended that it is the responsibility of the police to prevent breaches of the peace and they should initiate proceedings.