LICENSING BILL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 19 November 1927, Page 6

LICENSING BILL

TALK IN THE LOBBIES PREMIER CONSIDERING POSITION REFORM PARTY DISCUSSION. (Special to “Tribune.”) Parlt. Buildings, Nov, 19. The one topic of conversation in the lobbies of Parliament House is the position that has been reached on the Licensing Amendment Bill. At the moment it is evident that members of the House favourable to prohibition are inclined to think the hill will again be considered in committee about next Tuesday or Wednesday. The position appears to be thht nothing in the nature of a compromise on the bare majority issue will be agreed to by the supporters of prohibition and there is a feeling against allowing the chance of securing the desires of the New Zealand Alliance to be lost. The attitude taken up by those who want to see the Bill proceeded with is that it would be flouting the desire of Parliament if the Bill were quietly dropped. « REFORM PARTY’S POSITION. To some extent the question has assumed a serious aspect from the point of view of the Reform Party. The majority of the party voted against the Prime Minister <n Thursday morning and after the House adjourned in the early hours of this morning a number of Reform members had a long interview with Mr. Coates regarding the position. The discussion was of a free, friendly, and frank nature, but nothing definite was agreed upon and the Prime Minister did not indicate what action he would take. The position from the point of view of the Reform Party if Mr, Coates did not go on with the Bill was discussed. That there is some, feeling in the ranks of the Reform Partv on the matter was evidenced in the course of the divisions op Thursday morning and some of the comments made by members in the lobbies were warm. NO COMPROMISE ON BARE MAJORITY

One strong Reform member, a staunch prohibitionist, stated to-day that he sympathised with the position the Prime Minister was in but, at the same time, there could be no compromise on the bare majority issue. It was a chance to attain a democratic issue which might never occur again and no chance would be lost in trying tp have the Bill gone on with. This member, as well as others with whom the position was discussed, considered that the Legislative Council would not hazard rejecting the Bill because of the unfavourable impression which would he created if the will of the people's representatives was thwarted. Others are inclined to think that the Legislative Council may reject the Rill or else insert amendments which the House cannot accept and, as a result of disagreement between the two Houses, cause the Hill to be lost. So far as the Prime Minister is concerned, he is not disposed to sav vet whnt course he will take. He is still considering the situation to ,-ee whnt can best be done, PREMIER’S STATEMENT FULLY SEIZED OF THE POSITION. Wellington, Nov. 18. Mr. J A. Lee (Auckland East) put » complicated question in the House to-day to the Prime Minister, the latter portion of which seemed to imply thnt the Prime Minister would be interfering with the will of the House if he reintroduced the Licensing Bill. The Prime Minister, in reply, sniil he took no exception to the question except the latter portion. Everyone knew he asked the committee to eport progress on the Licensing Bill in order that he might have time tn consider the position which had arisen. He believed some form of compromise might he possible, nnd to that end he had assed those in the House who were in favour of a bare majority to appoint a committee to meet him. and he had also asked the other side to do the same thing in order to see how far he might be able to go with a compromise. That was the position at the moment, and he had the matter unuer consideration. The public outside Parliament seemed to be somewhat perturbed. He would like to assure them that it was quite unnecessary to send a lot of telegrams. ns he was quite seized of the position.

Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) : We are all getting the same.

Air Co.ates replied that someone was paying lor the telegrams and that sort of thing sometimes prejudiced people’s minds, when an avalanche wa s received, all tending in the same way. Mr W D. Lysnar (Gisborne): ft’s only the propaganda of the no-licenso people.

Air. Coates: It is not only from one source. There is only one man who can decide what is to be done with this bill, and 1 am just intimating to the public generally that I am quite seized of the position. Members of the House who were opposed to him on the matter would grant thnt he clearly interpreted their minds and their minds interpreted those of the people who were telegraphing him. ■ k

Messrs D. Jones, Adam Hamilton, and v. E. Bellringer have been at>pointed bv the prohibitionist party in the House to meet the Prime Minister. The other side have not yet appointed representatives.