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1900. NEW ZEALAND.

STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE (REPORT OF THE).

Brought up in the House of Representatives, 31st July, 1900, and ordered to be printed.

ORDER OF REFERENCE. Extract from the Journals of the House of Representatives. Tuesday, the 3bd Day of July, 1900. Ordered, " That a Standing Orders Committee be appointed; three to be a quorum: the Committee to consist of Mr. Speaker, Mr. Fisher, Mr. W. Fraser, Mr. Guinness, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Palmer, Captain Russell, Hon. Major Steward, Mr. Symes, and the Mover." —(Kt. Hon. R. J. Seddon.)

BEPOBT. The Standing Orders Committee recommend that the following alterations be made in the Standing Orders of the House : — 35. Omit the following Standing Order: When an Amendment is proposed, the Debate is confined to the subject-matter of that Amendment, and the general rule of relevancy applies, unless the Amendment be treated by the Government as a vote of Want of Confidence, in which case the fullest latitude of debate is accorded. 55. To be amended as follows : Notioe-ef Motion cihall bo oallod on aftor Twolvo o'olook at night. The Speaker or Chairman of Committees shall leave the chair at Twelve o'clock on Saturday night, and no sitting of the House shall take place between Twelve o'clock on Saturday night and Qse Half-past Two o'clock on Monday morniag afternoon. 56. To be amended as follows : Except in the cases mentioned in Nos. 45, 48, aad 50, and 55, when Mr. Speaker adjourns the House without putting any Question, the House can only be adjourned by its own Eesolution. 57 and 58. Transfer to Miscellaneous, page 80, after No. 432. 172 a. New Standing Order : Notices of Motion placed by Government before Orders of the Day continue to be dealt with after 7.30 on Government days. 73. To be amended as follows : The Orders of the Day are to be disposed of in the order in which they stand upon the Paper, the right being reserved to Ministers of placing Government Orders or Government Motions at the head of the list, in the rotation in which they are to be taken, on the days (Taeadayo and Fridays) on which Government business has precedence; but such business, if not disposed of on those days, shall revert to that position on the Order Paper which it would have occupied if it had not been advanced as Government business. 74. To omit the following Standing Order: Private Members' Motions and Bills shall take precedence of all Government Orders, and Orders in charge of Members of the Government, on Wednesdays throughout the Session. (Omission not to come into force until next session.) 74. New Standing Order: There shall be no Questions on the Order Paper for Wednesdays, and for the first six weeks of the Session Private Members' Motions shall take precedence on that day until disposed of, after which Private Members' Public Bills shall be dealt with. At the expiration of six weeks Government business takes precedence on Wednesdays. (Not to come into force until next session.) 77. To be amended as follows: All dropped Orders of the Day are to be set down i» on the Order-book Paper after the Orders of the Day for the next day on which the House shall sit. Standing Order 382 to be transferred to page 18, after No. 77.