LENGTH OF SESSION

Evening Post, Issue 56, 3 September 1935, Page 10

LENGTH OF SESSION

NEED FOE REGULATION

ATTITUDE OF MEMBERS

With only a limited time at their disposal and- a full sessional programme to be put through, Government members feel that some sort of ordered debate should be instituted as soon as the House gets into working trim.' The recollection of the last session, with its unduly protracted length, is still fresh in the minds of members, who are anxious to get done with the business before them as soon as is reasonably possible, so that they might prepare for what promises to be an exciting November for most.

Last session thera was some excuse for the. delays that occurred, as its progress was governed to a large extent by the receipt of the reports and recommendations of the various Commissions. Moreover, much of the legislation was of such a far-reaching character that full and careful consideration of it was imperative.

This session no such excuse exists. The bulk of the'business to come before the House is likely to be of a formal nature, and in any case the session immediately before an election is regarded chiefly as ■ a grand opportunity for some preliminary electioneering.

The opinion expressed by one Government member was indicative of the attitucte, of many others. "If I were the Prime Minister," he said, "I would as far as possible place my programme before the House arid tell it to get busy on it. I would also allot certain periods for certain debates, so that members would know exactly how the business was to be handled arid could make their "plans accordingly. There will need to be little time wasted this session."

The attitude of the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. M.' J. Savage) is -that some control should-be exercised by the Government in debates. "If the Government will tell us what it-wants to do'arid, when it wants it, we will help it to get through," he said today. "The Government on no occasion has takeri the ■ Opposition into its confidence, and told us what it wants done." : The preparation of the numerous departmental reports :is well in hand, arid there would not appear to be any reason' for delay in their presentation to" the House; There are no indications .at the moment that the legislative programme is going to be unusually heavy, though between them the Ministers have quite a sheaf of Bills ■which have' been marked for introduction this session.- The-most interesting Government document, of course, will be the Budget, the complete contents of which, it is understood, havfi not vet .been drafted.