Evening Post. SATURDAY, MAT 30,1855.

Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 108, 30 May 1885, Page 2

Evening Post. SATURDAY, MAT 30, 1855.

PARLIAMENTARY HOURS. * It is really rather unf air of Mr. Maoandekw to place Parliament in the position of having to change its hours of sitting, or lose the benefit of his presence. He is tho Father of the House, the senior member, and although ho does not speak very often, or make very long speeches when he does, ho exercises a very largo amount of influenco, and would bo greatly missed from the House. He objects, however, to the ong night sittings, and has, session after session, protested against them. He acts up to his opinions, for he is very rarely found in the House after midnight. His idea is that the House should meet at 10 o'clock in the forenoon, and do its work by daylight. . In favour of this arrangement he urges many good reasons, but he has never yet been able to convert the House to bis way of thinking, and we do not think that even the threat of losing his paternal presence will do it. The fact is that the proposal, however nice it may appear in theory, is absolutely impracticable. Day sittings, when they are tried, never prove a success. Sometimes towards the close of a session they are resorted to, but the members never soem to settle down to work in the forenoon, and wo have mver known tho course of business much advanced by such meetings. Of course it is possible that if early sittings were the rule, members might learn to adapt their habits to them, but if the House sat regularly during business hours, all other publio business would be brought to a standstill. Ministers would have no time to attend to the ordinary departmental work of administration, and the greatest confusion would consequently ensue, as well as much public inconvenience. Then, the committee work of the House, which after all ia scarcely less important than the work of the House itself, would have to be transacted at night. The atmosphere of closo committee rooms at night would not, from a sanitary point of view, be any improvement upon that of the House. Closer attention is really required from members of committees than from members during a debate in the House, and we are quite sure that the health of members would suffer greatly by performing committee work at night. We fear, therefore, that all things considered, the House will have to part with Mr. Macandeew if he is really in earnest in saying he will retire unless the change he advocates is adopted. We hope, however, that Mr. Maoandkew does not reully mean what he says, and that some arrangement may he come to which will enable him to retain bis seat, 'fie is quite right in protesting strongly against tho House constantly sitting till well into the small hours of tho morning. The work done after midnight is very rarely good work. Bills slip through without members really understanding their scope, and if there is a job to be done, the time to do it is in the early morning hours, when the House has been setting ten or twelve hours and when mamhers are weary and jaded. Ministers towards tlje end of a session always like late sittings- They get a good deal done then whicn they .could pot carry through at ; an earlier period pr at earlier Hours. Even Mr. Macaitdeew, when lie a Minister, was not so nrgent in his demands for early adjournment as he is when he is out of office. ; Sir John TTat.t. was a Tegular slave driver, i He never seemed to require rest himself, or j to bo willing that others should enjoy it. He used to become quite melancholy if the half -past two er throe in the morning when Government business was on. Mr. Stout showed much the same disposition last session. The later the hour and the more work done, the brisker he grew. He never seemed to feel fatigued, and he showed no sympathy for those who did. We trust fliat he will be more considerate this session. Eyeryone does not possess the same strong, sound constitution that Mr. Stout is blessed with, few people possess the same power of work that he nas, and fewer still can really enjoy hard work in the way he seems to. This session, at least, Parlia- | ment has plenty of tune before it, and can I afford to proceed deliberately and quietly with its work. There is no need for ruslijng business through. If late hours aro from the first avoided, the work done will be better in quality, and if a few late sittings towards the close really become necessary, the members, officers Qf the House, and reporters will all be in a better condition to bear the strain than they can possibly be after two or three months, during which the House has sat till 2 or 3 o'clock two or tiiree nights in each week. The Government should try so to arrange business that sittings after midnight should

be the rare exception and not the rule. If members attend to tlieir work woll from 2.30 in the afternoon till midnight, they certainly do all tltit can reasonably be expected of them, in addition to forenoon committee work. Mr. Macandrew will deserve well of thn country if his strong expression of opinion leads to the regular adoption of reasonable hours for the transaction of Parliamentary business.