Manawatu Evening Standard. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1917. THE END OF SESSION RUSH.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10114, 23 October 1917, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1917. THE END OF SESSION RUSH.

New Zealand Governments cling tenaciously to those end of .session rushes which have heen responsible for so much hasty and ill-advised legislation, requiring subsequent amendment, and which have been the subject of repeated protests on the part of the more responsible press of the Dominion, and also of some of the very gentlemen who—alas!—on attaining office, have found the temptation to withhold their more important Bills until the closing days of the session, too strong to be resisted. The National Government is no exception to the rule. It was announced last week that an attempt would be made to wind up the business of Parliament by the end of this week, but the House had still to receive the very important War Legislation Amendment Bill, a synopsis of which was telegraphed to us last evening by our Parliamentary correspondent, and it had also to deal with the Social Hygiene Bill and other important matters, including the Supplementary Estimates. Of the importance and far-reaching extent of the War Regulations Amendment Bill, the reader can judge by following the outline of the measure appearing upon another page. Some of the matters it deals with should have been taken in hand two years ago ; others ought cerItainly to have been legislated upon earlier in the session, and, so far as we aYe in a position to judge, most, if not the whole, of the new proposals could have -been placed before the House, when, it assembled for business, or within, five or six weeks of its doing so. The, Ul'.'l is one which members and the public should have had the opportunity of studying at leisure and in 'detail. It is a. very necessary measure, but the wisdom of the country is not bound up within the four wails of the Cabinet room, much less within the solemn precincts of the Attorney-General's office, and we submit that, given time for consideration, the present measure could have been extended, and beneficially amended, were members of the House and the public generally given .proper opportunity for considering its several clauses, and suggesting amendments to make it more"workable and serviceable. In expressing that opinion, the "Standard" in no way impeaches'the value o! the Bill itself, as introduced by the Mr Herd roan's services' have been of great value to the Government all the way through. . He is responsible for drafting practically the whole of the war legislation—most of it of very great value to the country—and the War Regulations as well. But, in regard to measures that it is propoaed should be placed upon the Statute Hook, we submit the country

has a right to be in a position to study their possible effect beforehand, and to make suggestions through their Parliamentary representatives for amend; merits that may he very desirable. The practice of introducing important legislation into the House in the dying hours of the session ought to be abandoned. At the same time we quite realise that the War Legislation Amendment Hill, some of the proposals of which the country has been clamouring for, must go through.