A DAY IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Evening Star, Issue 12674, 30 November 1905, Page 3

A DAY IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

j Judging from the number oi candidates I a*o cleoiion time, the position of a represen-t-ative of the people is a very popular one. With that popularity, it is reasonable to .aippose tliat. a sketch of the day's work durm-sc.--ion tiine is of more than parsing inferos-,, and if it can be put in icaiablo form it mjy prove profitable as well as interesting. j 'the -lay's work during session is seldom i cull, though it may bo slow or active Just | according 10 tlie temperament of the reprci scntative. Is tho House ~o him a club, and i a club ouly, time has to be killed ir j I he most- interesting manner possible:' or is I it a legislative Assembly room for acquaiaij ing lunt_-elf with law-making and taking an I active pert in ilie Government of the counj try ? To all it should be the workroom and lite club —it is only a question of how much I is workroom, how much is club. j Tbe object of tliese few paragraphs is to j < inline the typical day's work from the point i of view of the workroom first, and the club | ailerwards. j Though the House rises at all hours of the ; I wenty-four, few parliamentarians under nur- '[ mat conditions rise with tho lark. As a rule, I the morning is well advanced before tbe ' libLary has many occupants goiug through I the correspondence which has accumulated I ever night or come in with the morning ] mail. Until about eleven o'clock is really I I he only portion of tlie day thai a member ! is free from all House eiigarreiueni/s to go : on with letter.-writiiig. After I hat hour committees and i-ho regular sitting hours take ; up the whole day. ! Oily members, as a rule, have the larger | correspondence, and the more distant, electa- | rates the smaller. In ail cases applications for billets predominate. The ambition in life of a wonderfully large section of the people is to get into the Public Service, once in t. bo promoted or transferred, once promoted or transferred to get their relations in. The, idea that a member is consumed with a desire to help his fellow-m-n in that direction is strongly implanted iu the political folk-lore of this country. As a matter of fact, if he were, so great are the number of calls that it would completely exclude, tho possibility of his attending to his legislative duties at all. A system which ! would administer justice to all while Ui.kiri- ! this mass of work from members would I enormously increase the efficiency of the political machine. I Dealing with general correspondence reI ouires a considerable knowledge of the oper.i- ---! tion of the various local governing bodies and the working of the great State deparlI mints of the Hallways, Post Office, and TeleI graph. These wo have alwa-ya with us. bike ! lha tlights of migratory Writs, other m-a'ter-are seasonable. The General Bk-ctiou bring- | u. perfect crop. " Blank is making -jre.ii ! headway, something must be done at once: - put me" cri to calivais," is a telegram from : one wlio looks forward to the coming struggle J 1., earn a penny, legal or illegal. "Ask Mr Seddon wiiy lie don't advance money on ihe .-I'-unlv of my leasehold. Hope you will be Mjcces-iiil. Thirteen of us -who are on the mil all desire you to get in." is a conimunicai tion irum one -who regards a bi*-; l'l-mily its i useful for other purposes than running a I .'airy farm. The same period alfo brings u | muss of correspondence from political orgunii sations of all kinds, conveying information j of their numerical strength at tho ballot box, and asking all sorts of questions, not to answer one of which is to consign oneself to the outer darkness of private life. There is ono consolation, however, in all political correspondence. No matter how awkward -.be I question is, an answer to the lotter, whether | the question is answered or not, is always considered satisfactory. A politician may never work a hand's turn, and lie may never answer a single question, and yet come back at the top of the pel; but should be not I answer letters, out he goes at the first elec- | The various committees meet during the forenoon, and a busy member has to sel a.ido two hours for that purpose. As a rule, i iie committees are of his own selection, or I en subjects he is recognised a.s being most ; interested in. Everyone has, therefore, an ' epportunity of following up hia own subjects. The working of these committees makes tho whole ntachinery run smooth or tough as the work is done well or ill. The Sound work he does iu committee makes a man's reputation in the House, while the sound of the work be does in the House makes a I man's uanio in the country. These t.wo I things being very different, all members don't I bold "double firsts." Of late yeai-3 there has been a tendency to multiply unreaaonI ably fcho number of tho committees, with the result that the attendance is irregular i and interest slackening. The chairmen of these committees have often an arduous and a trying thno preparing the work for the consideration of tlie members. Tho saiuo old petitions como up year' after year with the same, old grievance. The same old reports have to be resurrected, the same old evidence taken, tlie same old decision. It is tbe privilege o£ the Britisher to petition Parliament, and everyone must get fair play. At times a case comes up, and a small army of counsel is employed. The House lays great weight on these reports, and deservedly so. It is a pity that Cabinet does not always do the same. There exists a popular delusion tliat members are paid for committee w-ork. Afternoon work commences at half-past two. Then are presented petitions winch are |j:ut on automatically to the various committees. The House itsetf- wily eonsidec* !

reports. Notices o£ questions or of motions are given. Pupers arc laid ou the table. Beports are brought up on all matters already • submittted ro committees. All the speeches are reported in ' Hansard.' If, however, any paper presented or report brought down is of more than passing interest, any mcmlK-r can ranve that it be printed, in which case it .becomes part of the printed records of the House. Speaking generally, ,fho evening is given to discussing Bills. Not much time is given to preparation, as little information oi the measures that are to be submitted is given to the House. Members have to trust to a few stray notes jotted down at leisure for material for a speech to bo delivered at a moment's notice. This system, or, more correctly, this want of system, prevents the best. form of criticism, though it is no doubt attractive to Cabinet Ministers, who are internally acquninted with their own branches of tho work, and have to meet men who cannot prepare their work. The final result vcr> often is that members make no attempt to prepare, tinder no circumstances whatever could members Drake themselves acquainted with everything. Tho hours of attendance of actual sitting of tho House average about eigiht, the average hour of rising being about 1. a.m. Sometimes the. aveiage for a session is nearly 2 a.m. To enable the members to pass away tho time, considerable use is made of the magnificent library, containing some 00,000 volumes, and well arranged for reading mid study. The lobbies provide excellent promenade and facilities for enjoying the companionship oi fellow-members within easy call of the Chamber. A chess and card room serve to pass away many a pleasant hour, and Bellamy's refreshes the iuner man. All these help the hard-working members to put through the. long day of weary talk. We'are now at tho end of the last session of this Parliament, and with, all its pleasant associations and the memories of friendships formed, few men confess to a leeling of satisfaction with the work they have accomplished, but. all relinquish it only after a struggle, like the. drunkard relinquishing h:s bottle. There will l«± no moic unwilling! victims than those who. at (his condng contest, arc told by the constituents to give lilaco to better men.—li. M'Nuh in -Young ilen's Mngaaiue.'