Parliament's Week: The Commons:

Parliament's Week

¶ Opened with a Labor question on, whether His Majesty's Government intend to explain to the Government of the United States that the United Kingdom is about to re-arm with an expenditure of millions due but unpaid to the U. S. Treasury.*

This question Chancellor of the Exchequer Neville Chamberlain left to one of his young men to answer in the negative. ¶ Observed with distaste efforts by Lady Astor, Conservative, to avoid having to give up her convenient aisle seat to Laborite "Old George" Lansbury who was propelled into it by the expansion of the Labor Party from 52 M.P.'s to 154 in the recent general election.

The Noble Lady seemed to think "Old George" a boor and intimated as much to his face. Old enough to be her father, hoary Mr. Lansbury remained seated where Fate had placed him. Next day Viscountess Astor elaborately demonstrated what a lady she is by arriving early, taking her favorite seat, and then as Old George came in, rising with a sneer "to give the gentleman my seat." ¶ Observed with further distaste efforts by Scottish Laborite Jock McGovern to make his stubborn point that members of the Royal Family, considering the size of their private incomes, are paid too much. If a worker is shown by the so-called "means test" to have more than an absolute minimum of income he cannot draw dole payments from the State. Year after year Jock McGovern asks to have what the State pays the Royal Family readjusted in the light of their income from investments. Cried Jock last week, "No means test is applied to members of the Royal Family! Why should it be applied to the workers?" ¶ Received beamishly the maiden speech of Punch Humorist A. P. H. (Alan Patrick Herbert) who set out on his parliamentary career last week by wanting to reform "the indecent, cruel and hypocritical marriage laws of 'this country!" (TIME, Aug. 6, 1934).

¶ Got down to business as Labor Leader Clement Attlee attacked "the inadequacy of the King's speech," charged that His Majesty's Government by proceeding with Rearmament are enhancing the world's risks of war.