HOW DAYLIGHT SAVING BECAME LAW.

Shannon News, 12 October 1928, Page 3

HOW DAYLIGHT SAVING BECAME LAW.

PARLIAMENT'S LAST DAYS,

LEGISLATION AT HIGH.PRESSURE

(Christchurch Star's Special)

WELLINGTON, Oct. 8

"Merrily we roll along, roll along, roll along." The words of the old ditty are most Applicable to Parliament just now as it is in an extremely "talkmanlike" mood, though ready to work. It is fast approaching the end of its tether, and one-third of its component parts will soon be at the end of their political tether, too. Some of them may be fastened on to the legislative leash again in the dim and distant future, but for the sake of Hansard, the Great British Public, and the Sergoant-at-Arms, it is to be hoped that there will be a heavy casualty list on November 22—if that turns out to be the actual date of the general election. The election has been tentatively fixed, definitely fixed, then something seems to crop up by way of amendment and the date has to • be pushed back a bit more.' The Political Handicap.

Sir Joseph Ward has been amongst the valiants who have tried to induce the Prime Minister to -say when the Political Handicap will be run, but as Mr Coates apparently wants to make sure that he can get a good flying start,., he contents himself with dallying about at the barrier, and no one is any the wiser. As the session has gone on'for so long, however, it seems to be pretty certain that the vicinty of November 22 will be the time for all good men to come to the aid of their parties. There was full evidence last week, and especially in the last forty-eight hours, that the end-of-session rush has started. Bills are introduced one minute and become law the next, while the stewards at Bellamy's are floating in perspiration trying to cope with the heavy volume of business that has piled' up as the result of members talking themselves to exhaustion over the little things that did not matter in the early stage.of the session. Standing Orders to the Winds.

As an instance, of how things have been flying through, the Auckland Transport Amendment Bill might be quoted. In the ordinary course of events this must purely have been re-garded-as a Local Bill and been sent to the Local Bills Committee,. which would have taken great pains to call evidence and examine the Standing Orders to see whether it had been duly advertised for 42 days before the commencement for the session. But, oh dear no. Not at this stage of the session. Standing Orders, apparently, sometimes serve the purpose of letting Bills through instead of holding them v.p. The Prime Minister introduced the Bill late on Friday afternoon and in the early hours of Saturday morning it was "joshed" through, to the accompaniment of a lot of snores and a few benedictions. It was a shining example of what Parliament can do when it likes, Standing Orders or no Standing Orders. Mr Wilford mentioned that if he only raised a point of order the Speakei would of necessity have to rule the Bill out of order, but he frankly admitted that it would* churlish of him to do so. Mr Speaker observed that Mr Wilford might at the same time feel it his duty to do so, and the laugh which followed was as eagerly enjoyed by Mi- Wilford as anyone else. Cracking the Whip.

The calm manner in which the crack of the party whip brought members 01 the Reform Party to heel over th; one-time controversial topic of daylight saving was illuminating at two o'clocl on Saturday morning. It is very doubt f'ul whether, following on the fate oi the Summer Time (Local Empowering) Bill' introduced by Mr Sidey, anything more would have been heard of day light saving this session, but toward; the end of last week some of the newspaper began writing inquiring and suggestive paragraphs about, the subject. Hints were made that the Re : form Party should remember that such a thing as the general election was go ing to happen, within a few weeks and that it' might therefore be expedient to bring in some measure of daylight saving, even if only for half an' hour. A hastily summoned caucus of the Reform Party met on Friday morning and discussed the question at great length, but it was decided that a Bill had better be brought in. Accordingly, it made its appearance very late in the evening and was read a first time and a second time in less time almost than it takes to repeat its short title. On the third reading one or two of the Reform "diehards," Messrs J. 0. Rolleston and J. G. Elliott, in particular, said that they had always been opposed to summer time and always would be, and next year if they were here and an attempt was made to re-enact the law they would fight it. They did not take the question to division, however, and they may not be here next year to carry out* their minatory designs.

Mr Sidey Beiaras,

So thanks to public opinion cracking its whip successfully against the Government in election year, the Reform Party in turn cracked its members into compliance, and the result is that Mr Sidey feels that some appreciable good has been done by his long fight in the interests of the health of the people. He beamed and smiled when he saw a Government Bill going through designed to do partially what he has long striven for, and he went home at twenty minutes to three on Saturday morning a proud and happy man. When he returned to the House at 11 a.m. he

listened to Sir Apirana Ngata, his bench? mate sav something about the Native Lands "Washing-up" Bill, and then wert off to sleep and dream of the land of eternal sunshine, where they don't make clocks and where there is no Greenwich meridian. Preparing Tor Decrease.

The session is in its dying hours. The official decrease is scheduled to take place some time to-morrow. The obsequies will consist of the customary funeral dirges about the jolly good fellows on the other, side of the House whom it is hoped not to see again (in the House) after the end of November. There will be the usual congratulations, the Auld Lang Syne feeling will be mu2h in evidence, and those who intend to stand for re-election will bo able to depart in the sure and certain hope that the electors will give-.- .then; some sort of reward.