LICENSING PAIRS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 230, 28 September 1928, Page 3

LICENSING PAIRS.

MR. JORDAN'S POSITION. STATEMENT BY LABOUR WHIP DEFINITE PAIR WITH MR. RHODES. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Mr. D. G. Sullivan, M.P., Whip of the Labour party in Parliament, disputes the correctness of the statement made by Mr. J. S. Dickson, Senior Government Whip, dealing with the matter of pairs on the Licensing Bill. Mr. Sullivan prefaced his further remarks by stating that the Labour party as a party had no standpoint on the Licensing Bill except on those matters such as the bare majority, which were planks in the party's platform. He said that Mr. Dickson's statement that Mr. W. J. Jordan, member for Manukau, had "intimated that he did not desire a pair on the Licensing Bill'' could not possibly be correct. "As a matter of fact," said Mr. Sullivan, "I know definitely that before he left to represent NewZealand in Canada Mr. Jordan interviewed almost every member of Parliament opposed to his viewpoint, and asked them to pair with him on the bill. He actually supplied me, as Whip, with a list of those whom he had approached, and that list is in my possession. In every case he was refused, but subsequently intimated to me in writing that he had arranged to pair with Mr. T. W. Rhodes, who was also going to Canada, on Clause 4 of the bill dealing with the question of majority. Mr. Jordan was against the clause and in favour of a bare majority. Mr. Rhodes was for the clause and against the bare majority. The bare majority is a plank in the platform of the Labour party. Mr. Jordan's written statement is a.9 follows:—'I have paired with Mr. T. W. Rhodes, Thames. I vote: Bible in Schools, no; bare majority, yes; Daylight Saving, yes; Government measures, no.' "

Mr. Sullivan continued: "On the day following the defeat, of t.lie Licencing Bill I saw Mr. Dickson and said: 'Well, what about Jordan and Rhodes 1 Shail we fix up their pair?' Mr. Dickson said 'no,' and asserted that Mr. Jordan did not wish to be paired. He produced a statement signed by Mr. Jordan covering the Bible in Schools, Daylight Saving and Government measures. 1 produced my statement from Mr. Jordan authorising me to pair him with Mr. T. YV. Rhodes. It is true that the statement held by Mr. Dickson made no reference to the Licensing Bill, but that means nothing, as Mr. Judnn had already done the proper thing in instructing his own party Whip how to pair him on the Licensing Bill. As Government Whip y-. Dickson had no authority whatever with Mr. Jordan. It is nonsense to say that because no reference to the Licensing Bill is made in Mr. Jordan's statement to Mr. Dickson that the former did not wis" to be paired. Mr. Jordan had already instructed me in the matter. All this -is confirmed fo f ar as it indicated Mr. Jordan's wishes in the matter," said Mr. Sullivan, "by his answer | to a deputation of his own constituents j which waited upon him at Onehunga on Monday, July 23. The deputation consisted of Messrs. T. H. Macky, C. D. McLean and Rev. D. D. Scott. In a sisrned statement on behalf of that deputation Mr. T. H. Macky reports Mr. ■Jordan's reply as follows: 'With reference to an arrangement for an effective pair. Mr. Jordan stated he had left the matter com pi f telv and unconditionally in the hands of Mr. D. G. Sullivan, Whip of the Labour party, and was prepared tj abide by any arrangement which h? could make. If the Xew Zealand Alliance, in consultation with Mr. Sullivan, could assist in the arrangement of such a pair, he had no objection to raise. He insisted that he had done his utmost to secure a "live" pair, but had been baffled at every turn by the unwillingness to pair of members who had voted on the opposite side of the Licensing Bill la>t session.' These facts constitute a utlicient reply to Mr. Dickson's statement as it affects Mr. Jordan, but in order to put the matter beyond all doubt I s<'nt the following cable to Messrs. Jordan and Rhodes in Canada: —"Jordan, M.P. and Rhodes, M.P., Empire Parliamentary Delegation, Montreal, Sudbury, Canada: Please cable at once joint signatures authority to pair you, Mr. Jordan, for the bare majority and Mr. Rhodes against the bare majority on the Licensing Bill. (Sgd.) Suilivan." The reply from Canada, now in the hands of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, is as follows:—Sullivan. Parliament, Wellington, New Zealand: Agree to pair respectively for and against bare majority. (Sgd.) Jordan and Rhodes." Mr. Sullivan concluded by saying that th• evidence was complete that Messrs. Jordan and Rhodes had arranged to pair on Clause 4 of the Licensing Bill, Mr. Jordan for bare majority, Mr. Rhodes against bare majority, and that Mr. Jordan had been faithful to his pledges.