The Lords and India The House of Lords on Tuesday
had the rare oppor- tunity of hearing the future of India discussed by a Secretary of State with personal experience of Indian administration. Lord Zetland, in his first speech in an office which he promises to fill with distinction, stated the now familiar case for the Government of India Bill, Lord Lloyd subsequently stated the now familiar case against it, the rank and file of the House expressed them- selves in familiar terms for and against the measure, and there was every reason to anticipate (the accuracy of the prediction will have been tested before these lines are read) that the second reading of the Bill would be carried by a comfortable majority. That is a notable evidence of the movement of opinion since the Simon Commission reported, for at one time there was real danger that the House of Lords would bring up its backwoodsmen in battalions to defeat the measure. This fear has long since been dispelled. It is no criticism of the peers to say that their discussion confined itself to the beaten track. In view of the length and thoroughness of the debates in the House of Commons no other course was possible.
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