On Tuesday the amendments to clauses eight and nine were
all dealt with, no considerable concessions being made ,by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. On Wednesday the tenth and eleventh clarses were disposed of after a prolonged sitting. The Bill provid s that the contributor who has lost his right to benefits by having fallen into arrcar must, in order to regain his position, pay up the arrears due not only from himself but from his employer. This provision was attacked with vehemence from all sides of the House. Mr. Lloyd George offered as a compromise to amend the Bill so as to allow the friendly society to pay the employer's part of the arrears, but this amendment gave little satisfaction. There was great anxiety as to the result of the division that followed, and this proved not altogether groundless, for the amendment was only defeated by 47 votes (163-116). The Labour Party now seems bent on wrecking the Bill.
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