LICENSING BILL EMERGES.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 20 September 1928, Page 5

LICENSING BILL EMERGES.

PROVIDES FOR THREE YEAR POLL. TWO ISSUES AND BARE MAJORITY. PRIME MINISTER WASHES HIS HANDS OF CHANGELING. As brought down to Parliament the Licensing Bill of 1928 provided for the deletion of the State Control issue, a poll every six years, and a 56 per cent, majority being required to carry Prohibition or bring Restoration. When the House of Representatives had finished with the vital clauses at a quarter to five this . morning its main provisions were: ~<!,) Two issue ballot paper; . (2) Bare majority decision; (3) Three-yearly polls. The Bill was so changed and contrary to his views, that Mr Coates' intimated that he could not move the third reading, but would leave that to some private member. In the lobbies it is predicted that the. measure will meet the same fate as its predecessor in 1927 —it will be killed by the Legislative Council. HOUSE SITS LATE. WELLINGTON, This Day. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) After the Telegraph Office closed, the debate on the Licensing Bill continued. The Speaker ruled that portion of Mr Biteliener’s amendment should be first put. That was done and a division was taken on whether the first portion of the clause proposed to be struck out should stand. By 43 votes to 30 the words were struck out. This then allowed Mr Campbell to move to substitute per cent, for the 55 per cent, majority proposed in the Bill, but this' also was defeated by 42 to 29. BARE MAJORITY DIVISION. The clause as amended by Mr Bitchcner’s amendment confirming the bare majority was then agreed to after a further division by 42 to 30. The division list was as follows: —; For (42) Against (30)— Armstrong Atmore Bartram Bell Bellringer ' Campbell Bitchener Coates Buddo J. S. Dickson Burnett Eliott Dickie Field .1. McDickson , Forbes Forsyth Glenn Fraser Hawken Girling Henare A,. Hamilton Horn J. R, Hamilton Hudson Harris Hunter H. Holland Luke H. E. Holland Lyanar Howard McLennan D. Jones McLeod W. Jones MacMillan Kyle J. Mason E. P. Lee Nash J. A. Lee J. C. Rolleston Linklater Samuel McCombs Seddon Martin Smith H. G. R, Mason Uru Ngata Yeitch Parry Ward Potter Wilford Ransom Williams Reid F. J. Rolleston Savage Sidey Stewart Sullivan Sykes Tapley Waite Walter Wright Young ADJOURNED TILL THIS AFTERNOON. At this stage the Prime Minister stated ho had been asked by a number of members to see the Bill through the committee stage and he had agreed to do so. As, however, the Bill had been shorn of the chief principles it contained as he introduced it, he could not consent to move the third reading. At that stage he' would ask some other member to take the measure up. Mr Wilford then moved to report progress with the object of killing the Bill. This-was'defeated by 55 to 18. Following the changes made in committee, the Prime Minister moved several consequential amendments which were agreed to. 1 Mr Sullivan moved an amendment, the effect of which would be to restore at all restoration polls carried the same number of hotels as existed prior to prohibition being carried, f The Prime Minister said the proposal was impracticable. Mr Sullivan said the position would be unjust as unless his amendment .was carried, under the Bill, no less than seven and perhaps 22 licenses might be dumped into his electorate, which now had only one license. This was defeated by 47 to 20. Clauses 18 and 19 providing for the increased strength of New Zealand wines were agreed to after divisions. The Prime Minister then reported progress, leave being given to sit again. . . The House rose at 4.45 a.m. till 2.30 p.m., when consideration of the Licensing Bill will be resumed.