1.—6.

1892. NEW ZEALAND.

STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE (REPORT OF THE).

Brought itp on Thursday, the 28th day of July, 1892, and ordered to be printed.

The Standing Orders Committee have the honour to report that it is in their opinion expedient, with a view to facilitating the despatch of the business of the House, that the various amendments of the Standing Orders set out in detail as an appendix to this report should be made. Some of these amendments are directed to the discontinuance of obsolete forms of procedure, others to reconciling the text of the Standing Orders with what has become the accepted practice of the House, others to remedying abuses which have grown up, and, generally, all of them to the economizing of the time of Parliament. Explanatory footnotes are added to the proposals following, which will enable honourable members readily to apprehend the reasons for those proposals respectively. In presenting these suggestions the present Committee desire to call attention to the fact that a report presented last session (second session of 1891) was never dealt with, and that although, in 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, and 1888, the Committees of those years submitted proposals in the same direction, time has never been found to take them into consideration. They therefore respectfully submit that, in view of the repeated recommendations made over so long a series of years, it is highly desirable that the matter of the amendment of the Standing Orders should be taken up by the Government, with a view to the determination of the House thereupon being obtained. The Committee also desire to point out that the terms of Standing Order No. 401, as at present framed, operate to prevent any reform whatever, however desirable; and they are of opinion that a Bill should be passed declaring that any Standing Order may be amended or repealed, and any new Standing Order adopted, upon motion, of which notice extending over at least four sitting days shall have been given, provided, that it shall be necessary that such proposal shall, if a division be demanded, be voted for by a number equal to an absolute majority of the whole number of members then in attendance on Parliament. Wm. J. Steward, 28th July, 1892. Chairman.