THE PERMISSIVE BILL IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1608, 4 September 1874, Page 345

THE PERMISSIVE BILL IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

According to notice, Sir Wilfrid Lawson moved the,second reading of the Permissive Prohibitory Bill in the House of Commons, on Wednesday, 17th June. The debate, being the first order of the day, commenced at 12 o'clock noon, by Sir W. Lawson's formal motion, his speech being reserved till a later hour, when the House was well filled with members, and the galleries crowded—many of the friends of temperance and liquordom—being unable to obtain seats. Mr Wheelhouse proposed, and Mr Goldsmid seconded the rejection of the Bill; Mr Scourfield followed upon the same side of the question. The objections of these gentlemen having been replied to by Dr Cameron, and Mr Roebuck having made some remarks about the failure of the Maine Law in America, Sir Wilfrid Lawson rose, and in an address of an hour's duration, which was listened to with profound attention and respect throughout, ably explained the nature of the Bill, and evidently made a strong impression on the House. After the debate had been taken up pro and con by several other members, Mr Cross rose on behalf of the Government to oppose the Bill. "He hoped it would receive such a defeat in the division that it would never be heard of again in the present Parliament." Great efforts were made by the Government to .secure as large a majority as possible against the Bill, and on the House dividing at six o'clock the members were— For the Bill- 77 Against - - 303 Pairs - - -15 „ - - 15 92 318 Majority „ - - 226 We have before had occasion to show that though the present Parliament has been elected mainly through the efforts of those interested in the drink traffic, the Temperance party has rather gained than lost ground in it. The result of this division affords another proof of the fact, for though the supporters of the Bill are but two in excess of the numbers who voted and paired for the Bill in the last Parliament, the hostile majority are, notwithstanding every effort to make it as large as possible, fourteen less than on that occasion. This result must be especially cheering to the friends of order and progress ; and the opposing influences brought against the measure being of an exceptional and temporary character gives ground to hope that their day of triumph is not so far distant as many persons would have them believe.