The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1909. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 678, 1 December 1909, Page 6

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1909. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE.

Me/' G. M.; Thomson, the member for Danedin North; rendered a useful service qn Monday when ho initiated a debate upon the deplprablo fashionin which Parliament trarisacts.its business. ';:. So., far as; actual results are concerned, the debate to be of no immediate pracf tical value, , but the ventilation. ■■'■ of the■ ■.'; subjectwill ••'■■•'do ■: good. ; .Mr. ;Thomson's, .' suggestion .was , .that. the. House should, for three days a. week at any; rate,, bogin work at 10 a.m. and; finish at ,10...p'.ih.','-,;. .There 1 ; have been half-hearted attempts • made before; now to introduce the idea that. .Parliament, should work on something like a rational time-table, but thero have been, several 'obstacles in the way of re-; .form. Iμ the first;' place the party in 'opposition cannot afford to give up the power to, make a• practical 'protest, in ■the,/ shape. of. : obstruction,, ; against;V tho driving tactics of the Government.' Tho Government, for its; part,: has. learned :the .value of obstruction - as a' means :of preventing the mere: ventilation of sub-" ■ jects which it cannot afford; to have: de;batedi and it has. especially;learned ,the value of .wearing down criticism in order : that it may force'its. measures through the Chief of all the obstacles to reform, however, - is the deep grain of the present system: The House'has got into a bad habit, and there are many members who:would find, it very difficult; to adopt a -wholesome time-t ( ible.; • Tho member who.'for years' has /been accustomed: , to muddle through the afternoon,. and, be: ginning work at 7.30 p.m.| to -retire to the lpb,by soon after supper—returning to ;the;:Houso only wheri. the division/bell' 'rings—is as bad a subject'.as:; can;., bo imagined for the application of a 10 a.m.' to 10 p.m. day. He has abandoned almost every function save , the function of waking up when the bell rings' and recording the vote directed by tho Whips',, Ho would be bewildered by the freshness of morning. Naturally, he cannot bear any interference with his accustomed routine. When the PniME Minister incautiously slipped into the position of having to admit the merits of daylight legislation, the Opposition benches approved his opinions and asked him to give the system a trial. It is significant that the Prime Minister promptly turned his speech in another | direction. That the Opposition is responsible for some of the loss of time is undeniable, but when it finds itself confronted with a majority that will talk or sit silent as the Government orders, and when it finds the Government relying more and more upon the exhaustion and brain-weariness of members to secure the passage of its Bille, the Opposition must make any protest that is within its power. In doing so it is acting in the public' interest. 'So far as the public is "concerned, the, main thing is that the laws 'of the country shall receive adequate criticism and revision in their passage, We can see no reason, and wq are sure that the public will admit no reason, why Parliament should not meet at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m.; and rise at, say, 10 p.m. sharp. The men who at present contribute nothing useful to the deliberations of tho House would perhaps become useful under such a system; the men who consoicntiouily endeavour to use their heads in the service o£ the nation would simply be given conditions under which they could work to better advantage. And the products of the Legislature would as a consequence bo much improved. Such little skirmishes as that which took place on Monday afternoon cannot lead to any definite results. What is required is that a committeu should be set up to go into fcho whole question of the hours of tutting and the general procodure of tho Houso. What ia certain is that the public interest is boing ill-served under tho presont absurd aad irrational ny&hu. - '