SITTINGS OF PARLIAMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 24 October 1942, Page 2

SITTINGS OF PARLIAMENT

KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH WAR MEETING ON 2nd DECEMBER I From Our Own Parliamentary Reporter] Wellington, This Day. Since the war the traditional session of Parliament covering all the winter months has become a thing of the past. The practice has been for the House to meet at frequent intervals, the primary reason being to keep members in close touch with the latest developments in the war situation and the steps which have had to be taken in New Zealand to make the Dominion war effort more intensive. It will no doubt be surprising to many that the sitting just concluded is the ninth of the present session which began last December. The House is to meet again on 2nd December and it is understood that this, the tenth sitting, will complete the session. Although meeting only a few days at a time Parliament has dealt with a surprisingly large legislative programme. Something like 22 Government and eight local or private Bills have been handled, approximately half of them in a recent sitting, into which was also crowded a no-confidence debate and a secret meeting.

Parliament has completely altered its habits in harmony with intensive wartime conditions generally, the result being that into a day is frequently compressed as much business as might have occupied a week in peacetime.