LICENSING BILL.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19166, 24 November 1927, Page 8

LICENSING BILL.

NEGOTIATIONS NOT YE"" ENDED. FATE OF BILL DOUBTFUL. [THE PRESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, November 23. Contrary to the expectations of son 3 quarters, the Licensing Bill will not reappear before the House of Representatives to-morrow. Negotiations tween the Committees representing the rival forces in the House and the Prime Minister are still in progress, and until these are completed it will not be possible to say when the Bill will show up again, if at all. Another conference was held late to-night, the delegates from the t.yo sides beiug Messrs D. Jones, C. L. Bellringer, and J. Bitchener, representing the Prohibition forces, and Messrs J. 8. Dickson, H. M. Campbell, and W. b. Glenn, representing their opponents. After the meeting the Prime Minister said he could give no indication as to tho position of the Bill. Certainly it would not be brought on again tomorrow. "The avenue of negotiation is open, and has been utilised," said Mr Coates. "Several useful conferences have been held, and very earnest consideration has been given to all the points at issue." § "Do you think a compromise will be reached?" Mr Coates was asked. The Prime Minister replied that he could not say. There were several matters to be considered, and they were being fully discussed, and in deadly earnest. "I will discharge my obligation to the House," Mr Coates added, "and it will hear from me again, but of course that cannot be until I am "cSni'ons still differ as to the fate of the measure if it reaches the Legislative Council. Prohibitionists are confident that the amended measure will be passed by the Upper House, and that the next liquor poll will be one of two issues, with a bare majority, on the other hand.their opponents maintain that the I*gi«»»t ive CouncU will further amend the Bill, and that a deadlock will be reached between- the two Houses, which will resu t in the Bill being killed. With both sides thus making a tally of tho heads in their favour, there can be no certainty as to the outcome. .. An interesting sidelight on the situation is furnished by the attitude taken up by some members in the House of Representatives who voted in favour of the triennial, two-issuo, bare majority poll. It was said to-day that these members are firmly of opinio- that even on this basis Prohibition will not be carried, but the effect of acceding in this respect to the wishes of tho New Zealand Alliance will be to remove the liquor issue from its position as the dominating factor in the return of members to Parliament at the next General Elections. The way would then beclear, it was contended, for the Parliament of 1929, whatever its composition, to concentrate on licensing reform, without the hands of members being tied by pre-election pledges for the reform of the ballot paper, and the margin of determination.