LICENSING BILL REJECTED

Hokitika Guardian, 24 September 1928, Page 2

LICENSING BILL REJECTED

A SURPRISE. HOW A MAJORITY BECAME! A MINORITY. (Lyttelton .“.Times” Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON, Sept' 21. The principal factor accounting for hast year’s majority of seven for the third reading of the Licensing Bill being turned into a- minority of one this session is that several members voted last year for the third reading only to give a clfance tor compromise, discussions when the measure came back from the Legislative Council. Sir George Hunter and Mr Macmillan, who have voted against the Bill on this occasion, are in the above category. Mr Hudson, who was not in the actual division last year, favoured the third reading in the hope of negotiations producing some result, ■but. this year voted against the Bilk, Messrs Jordan and T. W, Rhodes had paired on the question of the bare majority, but the pairing instructions did not cover the third reading. Thus two more “Aye” votes were lost for the Bill at this stage." These factors Justify the declaration of the Bill’s opponents that there was a majority in tlie> House against the Bill much larger than was actually; recorded, and they also argue that, hut for’the attitude of a small group last session who favoured keeping the Bill alive in the hope of a workable compromise, it cdukt have' been defeated in the House of Representatives on that occasion. One vote against the Bill was lost through thJe misapprehension of a member who went home thinking that, further proceedings were being postponed when amendments regarding the King Country licensing poll had been introduced. It is a formula in connection with Governor-General’s messages that the House agrees to consider the message “next sitting day,” but at this stage of the session that is merely’ nominal 1 . ! ‘ This, member’, lie we veV,'got the impression that, the Bill 'havingMice 11 through the committee "stage, the further "amendments proposed 'would be considered iat leisure, 1 b'lit" the ! House 'almost immediately’ back,‘into Committee On 'the Bill, and decisively rejected' the King Country proposal j 3HI vf*i i)G ; ’ *.;,•»UP I

the caption, “The Licensing Problem,” to-day’s “.Star s’■■ 5 ’■■ says: “Probably some of those who helped to kill the Bill did so because they thought its introduction a farce in the circumstances. The fate of the Bill, however, is far less important than the future of the controversy. ‘The new Parliament will have to take up the licensing problem and the question candidates and electors should consider seriously now is how far pledges should be imposed on the next House. This session and last have shown how the rigid pledge, operatingregardless of circumstances, works against the public interest. In this corning contest, care should be taken by candidates to preserve a reasonable measure of freedom, so that when the licensing question comes up the House will be able to approach it with some liberty .of action. “It 1 is undesirable that legislators should he required to hind themselves to a certain way of voting regardless of what may happen, and that acceptance or refusal of this pledge should be held to transcend all other political considerations.’’

PRESS COMMENT. * WELLINGTON, Sept. 21. Commenting on the fate of the Licensing Bill, the “Evening Post” says:— “People who view the question without prejudice will, we feel sure, give Mr Coates credit for the frankness and fairness he has displayed throughout. As a member of the House he is fully entitled to use his own judgment on this question. In our opinion lie used it wisely in the framing and submission, of proposals which woujd place the licensing issue in a better position than it now occupies

“The pledges of members hindered them from recognising or even considering the worth of those proposals, and a tied House declared for the bare majority on two issues and with no extension of the term ,between polls. In face of this rejection and the reversal of liis own proposals Mr Coates acted quite fairly, inasmuch as he abstained from using the amendments, but as Prime Minister he gave the Bill a free and fair run. The remote possibility of a compromise in the Council was not tested, and there is now a ’danger'of the issjue affecting jthe political contest in the General Eloc- ,■> '0:1 j. . • : ■ !1. ;> ; T: jc i tlOll. ; “It should not he made the dominant’ issjue in a*n election „yher'ei.p jthfe greatest issue will be to ylidin’ shall be, entrusted the duty of guiding pur national destiny in ihe ’next, tlirfee years. It is impossibly to. align' ibis' issue with ‘licensing 'so as ‘to obtain a popular mandate. incidentally' jthe progress of Licensing Bill dehidhtetrates’ the .pitfalls of the bare majority''plan. When chances, and changed, due' to' absence and illness can' so affect the fate of a proposal in a compact electorate of eighty voters, how can it be held prudent to trust the hare majority to assure stability in an electorate of over 500,000 ? It is to be hoped' that rnembers in the light of dihe 1 ' experience now. gained ’will realise ’how 1 unwise they have-been to’ alldw" their hands to be : tieef. it they agiriff* meekly present 'their u > rist4" ! foi*’ i,i theV i handcuffs 'they will be more fdoli&h”still. 'They' will deprive themselves 6f- the 'right' to cbWsider 4 other proposals' 1 -and other reinedits, but they will dd 'ifiore than that, : tliey : will help x to* ' confuse the' issues for voters. The maim respond]’-' bility for avoiding Confusion must lie upon 4lre' candidates. • Tf - they insist upon ’* re'd&mn'g fo th Chisel Yds freedom of action the bogey of liquor votes and Prohibition votes will disappear, hut if they timorously consent to be pledged the organised Trade and Alliance parties will be given a power which properly belongs to the great moderate mass of people. Moderate voters do no wish this to lie the dominant issue in the election, nor do they wish to see the licensing legislation history of this and last session repeated. They desire an honest and sincere attempt by free legislators to introduce desirable reforms, and to remove the disturbing influence of the licensing question from the political field, if that is at all possible,”