SIX WEEKS MORE.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18462, 17 August 1925, Page 8

SIX WEEKS MORE.

PROGRESS OF SESSION. TALK OVER WORK AHEAD. (special to "tde tress.") WELLINGTON, August 16. "When the Houso of meets to-morrow, Parliament will have been almost two months in Bession. It is practically certain that as soon as the preliminary business is disposed of, consideration of tho Bills 011 the Order Paper will bo resumed. As thoro are over a dozen measures on tho list, and there are only two clays this week which can bo used for tho consideration of Government legislation, there appears to be ample business on hand to keep the House, busy for the week. The two dnvs referred to aro Tuesday and Thursday. The time during which, Thursdays can bo claimed for other than Government business has expired but Wednesday is still private members' day, and will remain so till taken for Government businoss by special resolution of tho House. Fridays for another two or three woeks to come will be devoted to a consideration of tho Estimates. Long Debates. Up to tho present tho progress of tho session has been at about tho average rate. Tho early portions of sessions always aro occupied largely with lengthy discussions, such as tho Address-in-Reply Debate and the Finan«ial Debate. The present session has those) time-honoured debates behind it, and in addition has disposed of half a dozen no-contldouce motions. Time Not All Wasted. By thofio unacquainted with the working of tho great machine theso debates aro ofton described as a waste of time, but that is a mistaken idea. General discussion is allowed in these debates for tho expross purposU of providing an opportunity for tho ventilation of ?;rlovnneos nnd tho expression of opinon 011 subjects concorning tho peoplo. Tho fact that this is a very necessary provision is not so easy to realise iu times such as the present, as it was many yours ego, when the right to ventilate grievances had to bo fought for strenuously. Just as that distant past is never likely to be forgotten, the great provision which has been handed down to us is never likely to bo discontinued In still another sense, theso long debates are not wasto of timo, fi>r the reason that most of what is said on theso occasions members como to tho House determined to say, and they would occupy tho timo of tho House with it at some period of the session. Big Things to Gome. Among tho big things ahead, apart from legislation, aro tho EailwayH Statement, the Public Works Statement, and tho Mines Statement. Tho Kailways Statement cannot be far off now. Calculating on tho experience of past sessions, it does not seem that the Houso can dispose of its remaining bußihess in less thun six weeks, which means that the indications are that the aespidn will not close before the end of September.