ISSUE OF HANSARD

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3134, 12 July 1917, Page 6

ISSUE OF HANSARD

PROPOSALS FOR CURTAILMENT

INDIGNANT MEMBERS

THE PAPER SHORTAGE

Members of the House of Representatives showed keeuer interest in u question of minor importance, affecting tnemselves as members, which came before tho House yesterday, than tney navu manifested about any other question that lias engaged their attention this session. Tho reporting of debates in Hansard' and tho distribution of copies of Hansard among members wero the particular questions before them.

Owing to the extreme- shortage* cf paper it is considered necessary that Hansard should be compressed in volume and that tho circulation be strictly limited. The proposals for conpression were not very important, and they would not, if adopted, save a great deal of paper. One of them was that discussion on the introduction of Bills should not be reported. This practice of speaking on tho motion to introduce a Bill is really an abuse! There is 10 debate on the first reading of a Bill. This is specifically provided for. The introduction and first readings always come together, and usually botli liiotions go on the voices in about ten seconds. But tho New Zealand Standing Orders do not specifically provide against discussion of the motion to introduce a Bill, and it is therefore assumed that it is permitted. Of late years some members have made use of this fault in tho Standing Orders to provoke discussion on topics in which 'they are interested, which could not be brought before, the House in any other way. All that is necessary is to name a Bill, but tho Bill rarely takes shape. The stopping of tho reporting of these discussions would probably go far to end the practice. Another proposal was that reports of interjections and the replies thereto bo omitted unless pertinent to the discussion.

It was evident that these rompression proposals did not meet with the approval of members, and on the motion of the Minister (the Hon. G. W. Kussell) consideration of tho proposals was postponed.

Then came the still more interesting proposal that the number of copies of Hansard supplied free to members should be reduced. Before the war the number was seventy-five, and it is now pioposed that this number should be reduced to twenty-five. The Minister told the House that paper was available to print all tho Hansards necessary to Keep up the same circulation as in former years, but if this were insisted upon by members the Printing Office would be denuded of all the paper in stock, and there would be none available for such publications as the School Journal, unless other paper could be obtained. And the Minister assured the Houss that it was a matter of extreme difficulty, if not of impossibility, to get more paper, rind if it were to be obtained at all, the cost would be heavy—sd. per lb. Mr. Russell said that it would not bo made possible for anyone to purchaso Hansard, because the object of.the change was to save paper. Members were most emphatic in their objections to this subtraction from their privileges. ■ Most of them refused to believe that it was impossible to get paper. The member for Mataura has a paper mil! in his district, and he suggested that the Minister should get his paper from that mill. Another declares that the newspapers had big stocks which the Government could commandeer if necessary. Another accused the newspapers of. wasting paper on "ads." Two or three pointed out that paper was wasted by the ton in other Government printing, and that if this waste were stopped there would be enough and to spare for Hansard. One or two members confessed that it would be extremely embarrassing to them to reduce their free lists, ■ and said they would prefer to see Hansard stopped altogether for the period of the war. It was the Labour member, Mr. A. Walker, of Dunedin, who advised that paper could bo saved by stopping publication of tho School journal for a timo.

The motion to givo effect to the -eduction proposal was "talked out" at 5.30 p.m.. In view of the protests of members, it-is probable that the Government will reconsider the question.