LICENSING STATEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 19758, 7 January 1928, Page 9

LICENSING STATEMENT

NEGOTIATION RUMORS ALLIANCE WILL “STAND PAT" [Special to the ‘ Star.’] WELLINGTON, January 7. Whether or not th elicensing question is reopened by the calling of a special caucus of the Reform Party in the parliamentary recess, as the Prime Minister has declared it may be necessary to do, the subject is sure to be warmly debated again next session if the Bill is introduced on the same lines as it left the House last session. In tin meantime efforts are understood to be in train with a view t'o securing a modification of the attitude of those members of the House who have fought so strongly for the Prohibition cause, with a view to a compromise being reached before the question again comes before Parliament. ( Prominent men in tho Prohibition movement in Auckland and in Wellington are said to be making endeavors to influence Prohibition supporters, especially the majority in tho ranks of the Reform Party, so that a middle course may be steered, and an agreement reached which will satisfy both sides. It is not clear how far negotiations have proceeded, but as the dominating Prohibition faction in tho Reform Party is pledged to the hilt to tho New Zealand Alliance, those members could not change their attitude unless they made a volte face, and broke their pledge, in accordance with a change in policy of the Alliance. For tho present, at any rate, there seems but remote possibility that the Alliance will budge from the policy it adopted when the Licensing Amendment Bill .was before Parliament recently.

Inquiries made today Irani the New Zealand Alliance as to whether there was any ground lor rumors that a compromise had been reached elicited a reply from the executive secretary (Mr J. Malton Murray) distinctly in the negative. He said that if any change in the attitude of the Alliance had been decided upon it would have been announced immediately to the public, for tho policy of the Alliance was to place all its cards on the table. The Alliance, die declared emphatically, stood “pat” on the platform it had fought upon last session. A fundamental plank of that platform was tho bare majority issue, and there could be no change in that policy until the annual conference of the Alliance, which probably would not be held until May or thereabouts. For tho present, then, there could be no question of compromise. It was not a matter of expediency, for the Alliance was fighting for principle, and it intended to stand solidly whore it was until it gained its objective—National Prohibition.

Mr Murray said that as the policy had been determined by the annual conference the Alliance could not he influenced by negotiations which might be set afoot by members of Parliament or others who had the cause of Prohibition at heart and wished to see some modification of the present policy brought about. If Reform- members of Parliament who have made pledges to the Alliance adhere,' as strongly to their commitments as they did last session there appears to be as little likelihood of their being influenced towards a compromise as there is of persuading the Alliance to change its policy; so that the position is still one of stalemate. On the other hand, there may be some members who are not bound absolutely to the Alliance and with whom a reasonable compromise may be effected. As far as can be gathered, however, no definite progress has been made in that direction. No direct suggestions have yet been made by the Prime Minister for the caucus which be said it might bo necessary to call for the purpose of discussing the matter further, and local Reformers declare that they have not heard anything further than Mr Coates’s intimation that such a meeting might be neecssary. The opinion is held by some that it would be useless to call a special meeting of the caucus in recess in order to discuss a subject such as the licensing issue, for it would result abortively. As Mr Coates remarked when he made his reply to the last Prohibition wing deputation; “It is time for calm thinking.”