WHEN THE HOUSE MEETS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 303, 7 December 1931, Page 10

WHEN THE HOUSE MEETS

THE OPENING FORMALITIES SPEAKER TO BE CHOSEN. OLD RIGHTS ASSERTED When a new Parliament lias been eleeted, it rests with the GovernorGeneral, acting on the advice of his Ministers, to say when it shall be called together. At present, Parliament stands prorogued until February 4, but the interval may be further extended by proclamation, and unless there is some reason for holding the first session earlier it will be so extended until toward the end of June. Parliament is “summoned for the despatch of business’ by proclamation issued a reasonable time beforehand. By time-honoured custom, introduced, no doubt, to save the Governor-Gen-eral from having to visit Parliament House on two successive days, the first formalities are in charge of four commissioners, usually the Speaker and three members of the Legislative Coun cil. These act on behalf of His Excellency, who, however, may be present and officiate in person if fie so elects. Both Houses meet in the Legislative Council chamlier, and the members of the House of Representatives are then directed to return to their own chamber for the election of a Speaker. The Clerk of the House receives from the Clerk of Writs a list of the members eleeted. and proceeds to administer the oath to all who are present. There is very little formality about this, the members usually taking the oath hi groups of four, and not in any order of precedence. The Speaker’s chair is, of course, empty, its previous occupant, if he is still a member, sitting in the body of the chamber. The House then proceeds to the election of Speaker, which is very rarely contested. The Speaker-elect is, as the formula runs, “taken out of his place and led to the chair by his proposer and seconder.” Complimentary speeches by the party leaders and the Speaker’s reply occupy the rest of the sitting. The next morning the Speaker, accompanied by his proposer and seconder, visits Government House and presents himself for tho GovernorGeneral’s approbation. In doing so he is. required by custom to state that he has been elected by the House of Rcpdesentatives, “in the exercise of their undoubted rights and privileges,” and, on receiving approbation, to lay claim, on behalf of the House, “to all then privileges, and especially to freedom of speech in debate, and to free access to Your Excellency whenever occasion may require it, and that the most favourable construction may be put on nil their proceedings.’ The Governor-Gen-eral, on behalf of the King, confirms all the rights and privileges of the House “to the same extent ns the.' bad been granted hitherto,” nnd gives the assurances asked for. The same afternoon Parliament is opened by His Excellency with the same formalities rs at the beginning of any other scs-