THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 2873, 4 May 1872, Page 3

THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

To the Editor. Sir,—lu Punch of February 10, there are some well-timed hints given to members of the House of Commons, under the head, "Parliamentary Intelligence,” which would repay being read by members of our own local legislature. I enclose a few of them, slightly altered and adapted for their particular use. —Yours, &c., Economy. STANDING ORDERS (SPECIAL.) To facilitate business, the Council, on being informed by the Speaker that it is the wish of a member that a speech which he has prepared should be “held as delivered, will gladly sanction such a valuable saying of time and patience; and will authorise the said member to forward copies of the same to the press of his particular district for publication to his constituents in the country. It shall not be competent for the Council to discuss the honorarium question on more than six occasions during any one session ; nor shall the debates upon this important question be so far prolonged as to cost the country on the whole more than three days pay to each member for settling the rate at which his valuable services shall be assessed. Members shall not consume more than two-thirds of any one sitting in making statements and counter-statements as to the course of proceedings taken by themselves in their several capacities and places in the General Assembly; nor shall more than ten entire sittings be devoted to reviewing (and would be revising) the legislation of the last session of that body. Smoking will not be allowed behind the Speaker’s chair, nor in the Reporters’ gallery, until after 11 o’clock p.m. Any member wishing to go to sleep while the House is sitting, may do so providing he does not snore; but, in the event of his snoring, he is to be immediately awakened by the Sergeant-at-Arms ; unless it shall be the opinion of the House that the member’s snoring is more endurable than his speaking —in which case care shall be taken to secure the prolongation of ‘ ‘ the lesser of the two evils.” NOTICES. Mr Reid to move—"That in the opinion of this House it is desirable to prevent all future ministerial changes ; and therefore it resolves—That it shall no longer be considered necessary for the Provincial Executive either to have or hold, or even to profess to have or hold, either a 1 policy ’ «f their own, ©r any ‘ opinions ’ or ‘ convictions ’ of their own on any given subject whatever, until the opinion of tiiis House Has eitlicr been first expressed or clearly implied thereupon.” Mr Barton to move—" That an address be presented to his Honor the Superintendent requesting that he will take the necessary m asnres either to limit the influx of lawyers into this House, or to render the office of ‘Provincial Solicitor’ a purely honorary one.’’ Mr Shepherd to move for leave “ to bring in a Bill to limit the speeches of hon, members to a maximum of five minutes each ; and to provide that every question shall be decided ‘aye’ or ‘no’ within thirty minutes after the same has been put from the chair, or become ‘ lapsed.’ ” Mr J. C. Brown to move for “ leave to bring in a Bill to prevent the sale of land to any one person in any larger quantities than 53.000 acre blocks ; and generally to secure the ‘ settlement of the people on the land ’ in the latest and most approved style.”