LICENSING BILL

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 October 1928, Page 3

LICENSING BILL

j —— - MR NOSiWORTHY’S PAIR. I (Press Association.) WELLINGTON, September 29. . The points contained in the New - Zealand Alliance statement with reference to Mr Noswortliy s pair on the Licensing Bill were submitted to Mr Coates, Prime Minister. To “The Post.” Mr Coates, by way of reply, handed the following copy of a letter which he sent on Thursday last to Mr G. D.- Vercoe, President of the Ashburton. “No License” Council : “Dear Sir, —I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th inst., in reference to the question of the pair for the Hon. Mr Noswortliy on the third reading of the Licensing Bill recently under discussion in the House of Representatives. It is quite correct. Mr Noswortliy wrote me before his departure from Auckland, asking that his vote should be recorded specifically in respect‘to the three main issues contained in the Bill, namely, the frequency of the polls, a two-issue ballot paper, and the bare majority.

■ His letter made no reference to pair--1 ing on tihe third reading of the Bill, and its desire not to do so is con- ’ firmed by his explicit statement to the Chief Government Whip before leaving 1 Wellington, that he did not wish a pair arranged in respect of the third reading. I have carried out any obligations entered into by me on Mr Nosworthy’s behalf, and in view of the fact that both himself and the Member for Thames, Mr T. W. Rhodes, , were absent from New Zealand and that the latter was opposed to the third reading, the position is therefore covered. My telegram of 20th inst was sent under a misapprehension, and at the moment was intended to apply to the questions of the issue above referred to.(Signed) —J. G. Coates.’’