The reason for the rigid rehearsal time is because being in an orchestra is a UNION gig. There is a union rep that sits (and usually sleeps or reads the paper) through the whole rehearsal, and walks over to the conductor and points at his wristwatch if the rehearsal goes one second late.
And, "band meetings over a hash pipe" are more common with rock bands, not orchestras.
I know this.....just a little sarcasm