Lingering Death for Licensing Bill

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 219, 5 December 1927, Page 1

Lingering Death for Licensing Bill

COUNCIL AND HOUSE CLASH NO AGREEMENT ON AMENDMENTS (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter) 'THERE is no prospect, so far, of a decisive end to the deada lock between the Legislative Council and the House of Representatives on the Licensing Bill. Each side has maintained a policy of “no surrender.” It is expected that the mutilated measure will ultimately be numbered with the slain.

WELLINGTON, Saturday. THE House disagreed with the vital amendments to the Licensing Bill as made by the Legislative Council. Messrs. J. McCombs, E. A. Ransom and C. E. Bellringer were appointed to confer with the Upper House, submitting reasons for disagreement. These managers submitted to the Council’s representatives the following reasons for disagreement with the amendments made by the Council: (a) That the proposal to substitute a six-year poll for the three-year poll is objected to on the ground that the extension of the period on which the poll is taken is a serious curtailment of the power of the people to control the granting of licences. (b) That the proposal to substitute an artificial majority for the present law of decision by a bare majority which has been in existence for nine years, is not warranted, on the grounds: (1) There has been no expression of public opinion that there should be any curtailment of the popular will; (2) that at none of the three general elections held since the enactment of bare majority in 1918 has there been any mandate for an alteration in the present law which provides for decision by an absolute majority. (c) That the proposal to alter the law to allow wine shops to sell wine up to 40 per cent, proof spirits is distinctly retrograde—it would, in effect, turn a wine licence into a spirit licence. COUNCIL WILL NOT YIELD The Legislative Council insisted on its amendments to the Licensing Bill,

stating that the majority proposed was a reasonable substitution for the State Control issue which had been inserted in the ballot paper during the nine years mentioned by the House managers. An extension of time between polls was necessary because which ever side carried the day next * ri( & IK SK SK 3K as 35 as

election should have greater time to operate. The new clause dealing with wines provided for no greater proof spirit than that allowed in the present law. The House in turn disagreed and sent their managers back to the Council for a further conference. The Legislative Council later intimated that it would again meet the House on the question. FATE OF THE BILL It was not expected that an agree ment would be reached by the House of Representatives and the Legislative Council on the amended Licensing Bill. The conferences of managers worked overtime throughout the day discussing the possibility of agreement on vital points in the Bill, but there was no prospect of st h an agreement up till late to-night. When the House adjourned at 9.20 p.-m. the Council had agreed to a second conference with the House managers to discuss the position. The holding of these conferences is more or less a matter of form now, and it would create a tremendous surprise if any alteration in the position took place. Three conferences probably will be held and then the Bill will quietly drop off because no agreement con be effected between the House and the Council upon its fabric.