Mr. Coates Accused of Breaking Promise

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 466, 22 September 1928, Page 13

Mr. Coates Accused of Breaking Promise

licensing bill vote PAIR FOR MR. NOSWORTHY XHE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, To-day. Commenting on the Licensing Bill ... J. McCombs charges tlio Prime Minister with failure to secure a pair f r the Hon. W. Nosworthy, when he . e .. that Mr. Nosworthy had expressly asked for a pair on the third -eadins of the Bill il st was amended same form as lust year, jlr- McCombs asserts that Mr. Coates, , the presence of a witness, promised Mr Charles Todd, president of the New "y.ealaijd Alliance, that he would ar'nge u pair for Mr. Nosworthy, but ,iid not fulfil this premise. “Had Mr. Coates wished to do so,” says Mr. McCombs, “he could have paired his own vote with Mr. Nosworthy’s. I asked t he Government Whip why Mr. Nosworthy was not paired, and he said that Mr. Nosworthy had not asked for , pair. Later I saw Mr. Nosworthy’s secretary, who said that lie had asked to have Mr. Nosworthy paired in favour of the third reading.” questioned after to-day’e Cabinet meeting, concerning the statements made by Mr. McCoombs, Mr. Coates leplied that at the interview witli Mr. •r,,dd. when the request was made for r s. for Mr. Nosworthy, he (Mr. goates) replied that Mr. Nosworthy uould be paired in accordance with his own requests, and that he was -laked if Mr. Nosworthy would be paired on the third reading. replied,” said Mr. Coates, “that 1 thought so. but when I saw Mr. Nosworthy’s letter, I found he was not to I,„ paired on the third reading, in any . ise Mr. Rhodes, who is also away in Canada, is not a bare majority man.” Mr- Coates declined to deal with any <ither aspects of Mr. McCoomtw’s tatement, remarking that as far as he was concerned the matter would rest at that.