HOURS OF PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20251, 10 May 1929, Page 12

HOURS OF PARLIAMENT.

REVISION IN OFFING.

ENDING ALL-NIGHT SITTINGS

EARLIER MEETING ON FRIDAYS

[BY TEI.EGP.APir. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. All-night sittings of Parliament will bo events of the pnst if the reliably forecasted recommendations of a Select Committee appointed during the short session in December are adopted when Parliament meets next month. It will be recalled that the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, recently moved in the matter of investigating the feasibility of daylight sittings. The Select Committee appointed deliberated recently in Wellington, but no announcement of its decisions has yet been made. It is believed, however, that Parliament will be recommended to adopt a measure of reform on the lines sought by the Prime Minister.

Tho committee, it is understood, will proposo that from Tuesdays to Thursdays tho House shall sit from 2.30 p.m., the present meeting hour, but that the sittings shall end on those days at 10.30 p.m., which will effectively block tho continuance of debates into the early hours and possibly to breakfast-time, a not-uncom-mon occurrence in past years. On Fridays tho committee will recommend, it is understood, that the sittings commence at 10.30 a.m., the House rising for the day at 5.30 p.m. Bearing in mind the desire of many members to return home at the week-end, it is highly probable the rearrangements proposed for that day will find spocial favour. Tho new programme will not have the disadvantage of interfering with committee work, usually done in the mornings, and will commend itself particularly because of tho promise it gives of a reasonably early rising each evening.

It is reported the Select Committee will also recommend other changes designed for tho less wearisome working of tho Parliamentary machine, including tho limiting of speeches in the Address-in-Iloply debate to half an hour, instead of the hour which has for so long been customary.