“SAME OLD VOICES”

Hokitika Guardian, 13 December 1933, Page 8

“SAME OLD VOICES”

WASTING OF TIME DEPLORED

PRIME MINISTER OUTSPOKEN

WELLINGTON, December *lO,

The waste of time by some members on unimportant questions was deplored by the Prime Minister, Mr Forbes, when replying in the House yesterday to the long debate, initiated in a formal motion to block progress on the Gaming Amendment Bill. Members had objected at great length to consideration of papers being postponed to make way for the bill. Mr Forbes said there, were now 109 papers on the Order Paper and, judging from the amount of. talk that members indulged in, tbe whole afternoon could be given to each one of those papers.

It was obvious there should bo some arrangements made in regard to the length of time allowed for discussion, continued Mr Forbes, tn the British House of Commons, when there were important matters coining up, every one of the 600-odd 'members Could not expect to demand the right to speak. Accordingly, nrangements were made between the parties for certain qualified members to speaK, and the result was a debate which was worthwhile.

In New Zealand, sometimes, over a paper it was considered a matter of, honour for every member to speak. There were many occasions on which the time of the House was greatly wasted over unimportant things. Members spent endless time over small things and passed over big things altogether. “Some members feel they have a special message to deliver,” said Mr Forbes. “They deliver it on every and on all occasions, and they feel they ought to do that. Other members, who are possibly a little more thoughtful, abstain.

“If you take the Hansard reports you will. find that certain members occupy a great part of the time to the exclusion of others, whose eontributtion to the debate would be of far more interest than that of the loquacious members to whom we have to listen. Thus, the rights and privileges of private members are pushed on ohe side. It is a little. monotonous listening to the same old voices going over the same old stunt time after time.” Mr Forbes said a little more consideration should be shown to otlier members by those who took up so much time.. Some of those who had been voicing their, objection to. the curtailment of members’ privileges had been among the woyst offenders in this respect.