NO RESPONSIBILITY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19163, 21 November 1927, Page 8

NO RESPONSIBILITY.

. MR HOLLAND'S ATTITUDE. > (PBESS ASSOCIATION TELBQBAM.) WELLINGTON, November 19. Mr Holland. Leader of the Opposition, has handed the following statement to the Press:— "As Leader of the Opposition, I am being inundated with telegrams and other messages, urging me to bring pressure to bear upon the Prime Minister to proceed with the Licensing Bill. Some of the messages contain a, demand that the Bill be re-introduced, and all of the bodies and. individual correspondents who protest against the Prime Minister's action lose sight of a fact which should be obvious to those . who insist that the Bill should be re-introduced.

"I would point out that it is still on the order paper, and the Prime Minister can place it first on the list whenever he wishes.

"I regret I have no influence with the Prime Minister in the matter of arranging the order of business, but l would point out that members of the: Government Party are in an altogether different position. The Reform Partv includes a substantial majority of (.rohibitionists, and if these members are really sincere in desiring the Bill to come on again they should have no difficulty in achieving their object. Everything depends on the extent tu which they are prepared to exercise the power which they possess within their own Party. "Tf ths» Bill is not allowed to proceed it will only be because the prohibitionists in the. ranks of the Reform Party do not desire it to proceed." FINALITY URGED. (press association telegram.) MASTERTON, November 20. A public meeting on Saturday evening following the Wairarapa-Master-ton Convention of the New Zealand Alliance passed a resolution urging the Premier to recommit the Licensing Bill and allow Parliament to finalise the legislation this session.