BUSINESS HOURS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16927, 16 April 1929, Page 7

BUSINESS HOURS

PARLIAMENTARY SESSION PREMIER'S PROPOSAL FIXED TIMES AND NO CLOSURE. (Special to the Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. That New Zealand's House of Representatives can do its work in ordinary business hours without the necessity for a closure rule is the firm opinion of Sir Joseph Ward, the Prime Minister, who discussed with your correspondent last night the proposal he will place before a Select Committee of the Houseappointed last session for a revision of Standing Orders. This body meets on Tuesday and lias an extensive task with the main objective of securing methods, which will enable work to be done on, the following schedule, which (Sir Joseph Ward will submit: The House would sit on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10.30 a.m. till 12.45 p.m., resume at 2.50 p.m. and rise, for the day at 5.30 p.m. When it was pointed out to the Prime Minister that former daylight sittings had not succeeded because the 80 members contained sufficient groups to enable an entirely fresh set of speakers to appear late' in the evenings. Sir Joseph replied that the hours he specified gave the ordinary average hours of a parliament, though in daylight instead of after midnight. "No person in any walk of life," argued Sir Joseph Ward, "can expect to be fit for work if he does it till 2 a.m., and I feel confident we will be able to arrange the work of Parliament, and its many committees so that by, methodical methods we can do our business in four evenings a week, leaving the week-ends clear." THE WEEK-END HABIT. Sir Joseph Ward has in mind a remarkably large exodus of members which occurs every week-end, because improved communications in the Dominon enable them not only to attend to legislative business, but to keep in almost weekly touch personally with their constituents. Friday nights were once the great occasions of Parliament, but business now is comparatively unimportant, because nearly half the members are .away. "I am dead against any closure rule," declared Sir Joseph Ward, when this method of facilitating decisions was mentioned. "I think the hours we sit ought. to bo named, and the House rise automatically at those times. This would settle everything. I think the old idea. of talking "things out is past, and if it does occur it only means the prolongation of a session. Even if wo did sit a few weeks longer each year it would be worth while, to have the business done well. As a matter of fact, the, process of legislation by exhaustion is not liked by anyone, and all members will welcome a system of getting tho public work conducted more efficiently. I.am quite sure that if members of the House are willing to try reasonable; hours, though it means prolonging the session a fortnight or a month, it will make for their comfort and more complete legislation."