HURRIED LAW

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 3 November 1924, Page 5

HURRIED LAW

WASHING UP BELL. NEW/PROCEDURE. SAFEGUARDING THE PUBLIC. (By Telegraph.— Special to tjhe Star.) WEDINGTON, Nov. 3. Members are tiioroiighly imbued with a desire to close up the session, 2*™ Rbrpose of clearing' the Older Paper as much as possible met a b 11 - o’clock on Saturday morning to deal with the Washing Up Bill. « ' This measure, which is the last of its .kind, , a new procedure having been enacted enabling more consideration and publicity to be given to the 'proposed clauses emanating from local bodies, was introduced with 91 clauses before it could be reported on by the Lands Committee. A supplementary order paper was introduced , with 21 more pages of amendments. Even this was not the last, a further set of 53 foolscap pages being brought forward by the Government on Saturday morning for inclusion in the Bill. '

The consequence was that the Lands Committee, which has the. responsibility for reporting on the Bill had to hold a meeting during the. sitting of the House,, and it was ready .with its report within, an hour.

There were several mild storms over the clauses, to which strong exception was taken generally by members from the locality concerned, as the clauses came to them as a surprise. Where the apposition was\ strong and the information deficient the Hoh ; McLeod (Minister of Lands) postponed consideration until Monday night. - This, however, did not prevent the House passing scores of clauses which the majority of members had not seen or read, though, the chairman faithfully repeated the marginal note in each case when putting the question. The disposition was to pass everything to which objection wias not taken, and the House was content to put the responsibility on the Minister in charge. /, It did its best with the Bill and passed the Native Land Rating Bill and several local Bills in addition, before adjourning at 10 p.m. until Monday evening. There is no day sitting on Monday, as members attend the opening ceremony of Mangiahab hydroelectric works.

An Act of the present session puts an end to the irresponsible business witnessed to-day, the Local Legislation Act proving that a draft of such legislation must, in future, be submitted to the Minister of Internal Affairs for his authority,' which has to be gazetted, together with a description of the clause, and objection to such legislation may be made in writing to the Minister iby any person on public or private grounds and, as all approved clauses must he submitted to ■Parliament within fourteen days of the commencement of the. session, the statute effectively prevents hurried legislation about which - the House has very, little knowledge.