PARLIAMENT BUSINESS.

Evening Star, Issue 14931, 18 July 1912, Page 3

PARLIAMENT BUSINESS.

MR SPEAKER DEFENDS THE TIME LIMIT. [From Obh Parliamentary Reporter,] July 18. The Commonwealth Parliament is reconsidering its business methods, and the Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives received a cablegram a?king whether the New Zealand Standing Order limiting the time of speakers has worked satisfactorily, and if any alteration is deemed desirable. Sir Arthur Guinness replied to the Speaker of the Federal Parltam*nt: "Time limit ha? worked very satisfactorily without amendment." There was a. time when members of the New Zealand House of Representatives had no restriction regarding length of speeches, and they took full advantage of it. The lato Mr Sedclon, when in opposition, often spent two hours over his speeches, and on special occasions kepi up his oratory for four hours. The record was held by the late Mr Rees, of Gisborne, but his was not a continuous performance like that of Mr Joyce, a former mem her for Lyttelton, who spoke continuously for nine hours against the Bill granting country districts a higher proportion of parliamentary ' representation than the population grouped in the towns. —Mr Speaker's Opinions.— Sir Arthur Guinness will nest Monday celebrate his 28th year in Parliament, so that he has a most complete experience of the working of the legislative machine. " Do you think the time limit has facilitated business in our House of Representatives?" I asked him, and ho was qui to emphatic in his affirmative reply. '• Everything works fairly well now." he continued, answering further questions, "and the only thing I could suggest as an improvement is a reduction in the number of speeches allowed in committee. A member may speak four times for 10 minutes on each clause. That should be cut down to three times—a total of 30 minutes; just the same as is allowed on a second reading." The Speaker does not see how Parliament can get through its work by sitting shorter hours unless the session Is prolonged. Even the end of the session rush is, in Sir Arthur Guinness's opinion, hard to stop, because membeis become anxious to get away to their homes, and as a number of measures have been considered and talked over for a long time they are ready to vote without further talk. As for the closure as a means of facilitating a decision, Sir Arthur only remembers half a dozen attempts to apply it, the New Zealand method be'ng to move the previous question, and of the half-dozen attempts some were unsuccessful. " I think Parliament is a businesslike body, and its arrangements are working well," was Mr Speaker's final observation.