Intends To Write Book On Parliament

Chronicle (Levin), 4 January 1949, Page 8

Intends To Write Book On Parliament

WELLINGTON, Jan. 3. On a tour of the Dominions to study parliamentar.y proeedure, a former Olerk of the House of Commons, Sir Gilbert Campion, arrived by the Wanganella from Sydney today. He was accompanied by Lady Campion, his secretary, Mr. S.. Gordon, and Mrs. Gordon . They will remain in New Zeai&nd until February 3. Sir Gilbert 's tour will embraee all the prineipal eountries ' of the Common•wealth. He intends to write a book on parliamentary proeedure. After ±2 years of serviee to the House of Coni1110ns during the last 12 of which he was Olerk of- the House, Sir Gilbei't retired .in July 194S. Combining his study oi Parliaments with a holiday tour, he has already visited Ceylon and the State 1,'arliaments in Sydney, . Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart. He will' later visit Canberra, Brisbane and Perth and will then go to Cape 'Town, Southern Rhodesia and possibly Kenya. Part of Sir Gilbert 's mission is to discover whether it is possible to arrange an inter-change of parliamentary staffs on a small scale within the British Conimonwealth. On his arrival Sir Gilbert was met by Mr. N. H. Dollimore, Clerk of the Xew Zealand House of liepresentatives. He later met the Acting Prime Minister, Mr, Nash, and Maypr .of Wellington, Mr. Appleton. The party will leave by air for Nelson on Wednesday to tour the South Island. The broadcasting of Parliament will be one of the prineipal* aspeets of Parliamentary proeedure in New Zealand to be studied by Sir Gilbert wh'o is keen to know the *extent to which the people listen to the broadcasts. He suggested that if broadcasts made the people more critisal of parliamentariaiis and proeedure, it would be a very good thing. It^was far better for the people to be takipg a critical interest' in Parliament tliau n'ot to l>e sufficiently aware of it. He felt. that Britain would ultimately follow New Zealand's j lead in the broadcasting of debates but it.niight be 10 years before she diil so. In the meantime the poiitical parties in Brilnin generally were against it. Oue of the difficulties would be to secure a suitable wavelength on the air.