STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE (REPORTS OF THE). (Hon. Mr. C. E. STATHAM, Chairman.)

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1925 Session I, I-15

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1925. NEW ZEALAND.

STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE (REPORTS OF THE). (Hon. Mr. C. E. STATHAM, Chairman.)

Reports brought up 17th. September, 1925, and ordered to be printed.

ORDERS OP REEERENCE. Extracts from the Journals of the House of Representatives. Thubsday, the 16th Day of July, 1925. Ordered, " That Standing Order No. 219 be suspended, and that a Standing Orders Committee, consisting of eleven members, be appointed; three to be a quorum : the Committee to consist of the Hon. Mr Speaker, Mr. Praser, the Hon. Mr. Hanan, Mr. Linklater, the Hon. Sir C. J. Parr, Mr. F. J. Rolleston, Mr. Sidey, the Hon. Mr. Downie Stewart, Mr. Wilford, Mr. Young, and the mover." —(Hon. Mr. Coates.) Wednesday, the 22nd Day oe July, 1925. Ordered, " That the Local Legislation Bill be referred to the Standing Orders Committee.'' —(Hon. Mr. Bollard.)

EBPOETB. LOCAL LEGISLATION BILL. I am directed to report that, as the Committee is of opinion that the subject-matter of the Local Legislation Bill can be better provided for by an amendment of the Standing Orders, upon which the Committee is making a separate report, the Committee recommends that the Bill be not allowed to proceed. 17th September, 1925. F. J. Rolleston, for Chairman.

REPORT IN REGARD TO THE INTRODUCTION OE LOCAL LEGISLATION. The Standing Orders Committee has the honour to report that it has carefully considered a draft of proposed new Standing Orders relating to procedure with regard to the introduction of local legislation, and recommends that the House do adopt the following new Standing Orders :— Local Legislation Bills. 403 a. Notwithstanding anything contained in these Standing Orders with regard to Local Bills, there may be submitted to the House a Bill to be intituled the Local Legislation Bill, and, if necessary, a further Bill or further Bills intituled the Local Legislation Bill (No. 2), and so on as the case may require, and all the provisions of these Standing Orders applying to the Local Legislation Bill shall apply to such further Bill or Bills. 403b. (1.) Application in writing may be made to the Minister of Internal Affairs, or such other Minister as may for the time being be in control of matters affecting local authorities or public bodies (hereinafter in this part of the Standing Orders referred to as " the Minister "), by any local authority or public body for preliminary consideration and provisional approval of a clause or clauses to be included in the Local Legislation Bill. Every such application shall be accompanied by a draft of the proposed clause or clauses, and by a certificate, signed by some responsible officer of such local authority or local body, that members of the House (stating the names) whose constituents may or are likely to be affected by such proposed legislation have been furnished with a copy of the proposed clause or clauses, together with a notice in writing of the intention to apply for inclusion thereof in the Local Legislation Bill.

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(2.) On receipt of such application, draft, and certificate as aforesaid the Minister shall consider the form and effect of the proposed legislation, and if any Department of the Government is concerned in the proposal shall submit such application for the consideration of such Department. (3.) The Minister may — (a.) Decline such application ; or (b.) Provisionally approve the application and the proposed clause or clauses ; or (c.) Provisionally approve the application with such modifications of the proposed clause or clauses as he thinks fit; or (d.) Provisionally approve the application with or without such modifications as aforementioned conditionally upon such public advertisement thereof in the Gazette or otherwise as he may prescribe, and may from time to time vary or waive such modifications or advertisement as he may think fit. 403 c. (1.) Objection to such proposed legislation, on public or private grounds, may be made by any person in writing addressed to the Minister. (2.) A copy of every such objection when received by the Minister shall be sent to the local authority or public body making the application. (3.) Every such objection shall be submitted by the Minister to the Local Bills Committee for consideration with the proposed legislation. 403 d. When the Minister shall have provisionally approved of a clause or clauses as aforementioned he shall, as soon as conveniently may be, cause the same to be included in the Local Legislation Bill, and shall have such Bill introduced by Governor's message or otherwise as the case may require, and such Bill shall after its first reading stand referred to the Local Bills Committee. 403e. Any further clause or clauses for inclusion in the Bill shall, after being provisionally approved by the Minister as aforementioned — (a.) Be brought down by Governor's message, and shall stand referred to the Local Bills Committee ; or (6.) Be placed upon the Supplementary Order Paper by the Minister, and shall be referred by him to the Local Bills Committee. 403f. It shall be the duty of the Local Bills Committee to consider each clause in the Local Legislation Bill and each clause proposed to be added thereto, and to report thereon to the House ; and the Committee shall report specifically upon each clause which in its opinion should not be allowed to be included in the Bill, giving its reasons therefor. 403g. In considering whether or not a clause should be allowed to be included in the Bill the Local Bills Committee shall have regard to — (a.) The rights and interests of every person, corporation, local authority, or public body likely to be affected thereby ; (b.) The amount of notice or publicity, whether by advertisement or otherwise, given to the proposed legislation ; (bb.) The provisions of Standing Order 403b wi.th regard to furnishing copies of the proposed clause or clauses and giving notice to the members therein mentioned ; (c.) Any objection lodged with the Minister or otherwise, or any representations made by witnesses or otherwise ; (d.) Whether or not in the opinion of the Committee the clause or clauses should not more properly be the subject of a Local Bill; (e.) Any other matter in the public interest or otherwise which it may deem necessary to take into its consideration. 403h. No Local Legislation Bill shall be passed by the House and no clause or clauses shall be added to any Local Legislation Bill unless the Minister shall have provisionally approved of the same and the Local Bills Committee shall have reported thereon to the House : Provided always that this Standing Order shall not apply to any new clause proposed to be inserted in substitution for, incidental to, or consequential upon any other clause with respect to which the Standing Orders have been complied with or suspended, as the case may be, unless the Chairman of Committees, or on appeal from his decision the Speaker, decides that the insertion of such new clause would be an evasion or in breach of the restrictions and conditions intended to be imposed by this part of the Standing Orders. 403 i. No legislation which but for the provisions contained in this part of the Standing Orders would require to be brought in by means of a Local Bill shall be included in any Bill other than a Local Bill or a Local Legislation Bill. 403 J. The term " Local Bills Committee " shall be deemed to include any Committee of the House to which the House may refer the Local Legislation Bill, or any clause or clauses proposed to be added thereto, in substitution for the Local Bills Committee, and all the provisions of these Standing Orders referring to the Local Bills Committee shall be deemed to apply to such Committee. F. J. Rolleston, for Hon. Mr. Speaker, 17th September, 1925. Chairman of the Standing Orders Committee.

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