HOUSE’S LONGEST SITTING

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29270, 30 July 1960, Page 14

HOUSE’S LONGEST SITTING

Finance Bill In 1931 Probably A Record (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 29. The marathon sitting of the House of Representatives to pass the Nelson Railways Authorisation Bill fell far short of the known recorti The record Is thought to be held by the 1931 Finance Bill debate which dragged on for 96 hours 16 minutes—from 2-30 p.m. on a Monday to 2.46 p.m. the next Friday. Standing orders did not then include the closure motion and members could speak much longer without being halted by a motion from the Prime Minister. The 1913 Legislative Amendment Bill, which repealed the second ballot, required the attention of Parliament from 2.30 p.m. on a Thursday until 3.15 a.m. the next Tuesday. The only major break was from midnight on the Satur-

day—because the House cannot sit on Sundays—until 2.30 p.m. on the Monday. Recent times, in which the closure motion has inevitably cut talking time, have produced at least one occasion on which the torrent of works exceeded events of this week. This was in 1955 on the Police Forje Amendment Bill when the House sat for 33 hours 12 minutes before passing the measure.