Licensing Legislation Will Soon Be Parliament’s Lively Concern

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 188, 29 October 1927, Page 1

Licensing Legislation Will Soon Be Parliament’s Lively Concern

A TWO-ISSUE BALLOT PAPER? (THE SU'N'B Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Friday. TT is likely that the Licensing Bill will be seen in the House of -*■ Representatives during the coming legislative week. What the measure is to contain must be known only to the chosen few, but a two-issue ballot paper probably will be one of the chief questions involved in the discussion on the merits of licensing legislation when the Bill is before Parliament. There is a suggestion in the lobbies that the majority of the House is in favour of a two-issue ballot paper and a bare majority decision of the people on the licensing question, but the committee stages of the Bill might produce alterations. Certain it is that the Government and the House will have to get on with the job if Parliament is to close before the end of next month. If the progress of the remainder of the session Is to be judged on the accomplishments of the week just concluding another month would see members still in their benches, fruit ripening on trees and crops wasting in the hot midsummer sun. There might be a hectic rush, toward the end, however, and then will be time for the Government to decide what Bills are to go overboard from the legislative ship. It is certain that Parliamentarians will be among the first to test the efficacy of daylight saving, which begins on November 6.