FATE OF THE BILL

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19161, 18 November 1927, Page 11

FATE OF THE BILL

MR COATES'S DILEMMA. ATTITUDE OF ALLIANCE. [THE PEESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, November 17. The fate of the Lioensing Bill was the main topic of debate.and tion in the Parliamentary lobbies today. The Bill is still on the Order Paper, but lat present nothing definite can be stated as to whether it will be gone on with or dropped. As it stands at present, the progress of the Bill has been held up in_ its Committee stage pending negotiations for a compromise on the majority question. When the Prime Minister's proposal for a fifty-five per cent, majority was defeated by the Prohibition biare majority amendment, he intimated that he was readly to confer with the leaders of the contending parties in the House in an endeavour to arrive at some satisfactory solution of the difficulty. So far neither of the contending parties has approached the Prime Minister ; but a clear direction to the Prohibition supporters in the House has been given in a circular forwarded yesterday !>y the New Zealand Alliance that there should be no surrender of ground already gained by their forces. The Prime Minister himself is reticent regarding developments, but partisan members to-dlay mapped various courses which it was suggested he might follow. The Prohibitionists were united in their assertion that the Bill as amended by the House should go forward. The anti-Prohibitionists have not disclosed their hand beyond stating the matter is one for the Prime Minister to decide. Ultimatum from the Alliance. That the New Zealand Alliance is against any compromise is indicated in the following letter which was sent today to all members of both Houses of Parliament, after the Standing Committee, had considered the position: "When the Prime Minister moved to report progress on the Licensing Bill in the House this morning, he indicated that an attempt would be' made to secure a compromise of some description between the parties interested in the Bill. As the New Zealand Alliance for the abolition of the liquor traffic is one of the interested parties in the question _ of licensing legislation, the Standing Committee of the Alliance, at a meeting held this morning, decided to restate to members of Parliament the declared policy of the Alliance on the main issues, which are a twoissue ballot-paper, with a bare majority, to be submitted to the electors at triennial polls. The Standing Committee placed on record its determination to adhere to this policy without compromise, and will not under any circumstances 'enter into negotiations with representatives of the licensed trade". The letter also sets out that a resolution was passed "expressing gratification at the emphatic votes recorded by the House of Representatives against the proposed extension of the time between polls, in favour of the two issue ballot paper, and in support of the simple majority, declaring astonishment that the Prime Minister should have moved to report progress, and so have imperilled the passage of the Bill after the House had so plainly declared its will, respectfully reminding tho Prime Minister of his repeated assurance that members would be free to deal with the Bill on its merits, and regardless of Party ties, and urging that he do nothing to obstruct the passage of the Bill." The Issue in the Council If the Licensing Bill is further considered and passed by the House in its present form, what will happen ,to it in the Legislative Council! This is a question that is being asked to-day by those interested. A member of the Council who has pricked a card to-day, states that the Council may do either of two things; it may reinstate the clanses as in the Bill when it made its appearance in the House, or it may decide to leave the issues as they stand in the present law. In this case the two Houses would be in conflict, and if agreement became an impossibility the Bill would have to be dropped. Pressure on. Mr Coates. It is generally understood that some' members of the Reform Party who voted against the main clauses in Mr Coates's Bill this morning will wait on him when the House rises to-night ,to put their point of rkw before hint. Tho state-.

ment in circulation is that they will ask that the Bill as amended bo proceeded with, and put through its remaining stages.