1 JUNE 1934, Page 3

..* The Week in Parliament Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes :

Lord Lon- donderry and the Lords Spiritual met and defeated the critics ..of the Betting Bill in the House of Lords on Wednesday upon the main amendment to that measure. The Dukes of Sutherland and of Atholl pressed hard their proposal to rescue greyhound tracks from alleged extinction by allowing betting on them during 156 days in the year, and found some support in others who championed this form of racing as a noble or at least as a legitimate sport. But Lord Londonderry bluntly told them they must choose between being the champions of social reform and appearing to be the champions of interests which a Royal Commission had declared to be deleterious if uncontrolled. This plain speaking was mainly responsible for the defeat of what most people recognized to be a wrecking amend- ment by 75 votes to 34. Further proceedings on the Bill showed that the Government will not readily grant more than the concession already promised, namely, the exclusion from the Bill of pari-mutuel betting off the course, and it is a welcome return to the spirit of 1931 that they are prepared to do what may be unpopular because they think it right.