Abraham and Hawtrey's parliamentary dictionary

THE years which have passed since the second edition of this work was published have seen an unusually large and varied amount of change in parliamentary procedure. The House has shown a constant readiness to experiment with new forms of procedure, mostly with the object of facilitating the despatch of business. Some of these new forms (such, for example, as the opening of the sitting at 10 a.m.) have been abandoned after trial, but most of them appear likely to be permanent. Among them two, at least, may be mentioned; first, the transfer of certain proceedings on some public bills-second reading debates and the consideration of bills on report-from the floor of the House to standing commit tees, and secondly, the abandonment of the rule requiring financial business to originate in a committee of the whole House, which has resulted in the abolition of the Committees of Supply and Ways and Means and of all " money committees".