THE BARE MAJORITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 200, 21 February 1914, Page 8

THE BARE MAJORITY.

MR. MASSIOY KXPLAIXS HIS VIEWS. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. During the Premier's reply to thePresbyterian 'deputation on the local and national option issues, Mr. Massey urged the members of the deputation to regard the matter from another point of view. lb. reminded them that a Bill was lirought down by a irivatc member, proposing a reduction from (it) to :>r> per cent, in the required majority on both issues. The issues were joined together in that Hill, and he was inclined to think that a similar fate would befall such a measure as was proposed by the deputation as that private Bill ' met. Already it was proposed in the Bill circulated by the Government to reduce the national majority to 55 per cent. He advised them strongly to leave it at that. "Although/' be remarked, "in your case the two :im stions would be separate, in the Bill 'hey would be considered at tin' same veadin" bv the House, i Oh a previous , .vasion I "think r informed yon tli.-t liquor Hills, and perhaps some other measures, dill'er from ordinary (iovernment measures, inasmuch as we never consider them as party questions. I have no prejudice myself, so far as the Parliament is concerned, on the liquor question, but I suppose that nine out of ten members in the House are pledged to vote in a certain direction on this question if occasion is offered, and if a man has pledged himself to vote ill a certain way he does not break it once in' a thousand times. That is the position. I want vou to understand that although this Hill may be introduced by the Government, there are even members of the Government itself pledged to vote for tlie three-fifths majority, and such members would vote in accordance with their pledges." A member ol the deputation ?a,d that that he understood that most of the members are pledged only on the local i«sue. Mr Massey: "I understand there are a number of members in the House pledged to a certain majority on the national issue, and to a d'b.cr'eiit majority on the local option issue, t was surprised when i learned it, but that, I believe, is the position." The Premier went on to Bav that all he could do was to submit the representations of the deputation to the Government, but he w;s very strongly o f opinion that the Covernment would adhere to tlie present form of the Bill, and leave it for amendments to be introduced when it reached the Committee stage. It would then be open *or any member, private or otherwise to move amendments. Probablv he himself would at the second rcad'hi" of the Bill make a statement that it was competent for any member to move an amendment to the Bill i„ Committee and take the opinion of the House on the question. With regard to hotels closing, he would not go the length of saying it was impossible to deal with the half-holiday in a Licensing Bill, but it would ne most unusual. Anything affecting the weekly half-holidav and the hours of business places ought fo he introduced by an amendment to the Shops and Offices Act. The Government nail never considered that particular issue up to_ the present, but he would submit their representations to Cabinet at the proper time before Parliament met again.