WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 23 November 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE LICENSING IWJ

PE I MIC MINISTER'S DIFFICULT POSITION. (Special to “ Guardian.”) WELLINGTON Nov. 21. The Prime .Minister left for Auckland last night (Sunday) to meet the llight lion. L. S. M. iS. Amety. imperial Secretary for State for the Dominions, oil his arrival from Australia, and will not he hack in Wellington until to-morrow morning (Tuesday). During his absence the fate ot the Licensing Hill is being eagerly discussed throughout the city, the contending parties laying down with more or less appropriate emphasis what should be done in the difficult position that has arisen. It is obvious enough that the opponents of prohibition are anxious to have the Hill abandoned forthwith, and that the supporters of “ nolicense ” are desirous of keeping it on the order-paper with the chance of the two-issue ballot paper living confirmed. The fate of the Hill at this stage, of course, rests in the hands of .Mr Coates, who set out lor the North last night assuring the public that he was finite seized of the position ” find that the numerous telegrams ol advice which were being heaped upon him were quite superfluous. Perhaps the least happy of these messages tame from the New Zealand Alliance reminding the Prime Minister ol his promise that members would be allowed to deal with the Hill on its merits. WHO’S HILL?

Apparently the view the New Zealand Alliance takes of the position is that the Hill should he thrown on the floor of the House and that the contending parties should he left to squabble over its remaining fragments as they pleased. Hut an exhibition of that kind would be no more creditable to the leader of, the House than it would he to the House itself. Quito likely M.r Coates was giving effect to pledges that had been extracted from him dining the general election campaign when he brought down his proposals for i) six-year interval between licensing polls and a fitty-five majority, hut even so, he oflered the other side 1 a very material concession in the twoissue ballot paper. Had he aimed at the extension of time between the polls and the two-issue ballot paper, without disturbing the bare majority, be certainly would have had the sympathy of a large body of the electors, it not the support of a majority of the House. As it is, the most surprising feature of the whole business is the revelation of the Prime Minister’s ignorance of members' attitude towards bis proposals. To lie beaten by more than two to one in a vital division on a clause of his own conception and drafting must be a unique experience for a Prime Minister in this country. Still .Mr Coates hole himself very gallantly.

AN EXPLANATION'. The Hon. 1,. M. Isitt explained in the " Evening Post” on Saturday how his expectations of a majority of eight or nine wn the Religious Exorcises in Schools Hill were defeated. It seems that he had a little misunderstanding with Mr Hudson, the chairman of the Education Committee of the House, which deprived him of one vote and that the loss of the others really was the result of pure misadventure, “lie the death of the Hon. R. Bollard and Mr .Martin’s election, together with three reversed votes.” Mr Isitt says.

“we lost and our opponents gained four votes. Kor the first time in the struggle, although all the Maori schools except the Roman Catholic and the Mormon are strongly favouring the Hill, throe Maori members, against our expectations, voted against the Hill, and three of our supporters were unfortunately away and obtained no pairs. Seven from thirty-six leaves twenty-nine, add seven to thirty-one. you have thirty-eight, anil a majority for the Hill of nine, instead of a minority of live.” Doubtless Mr Hudson will have sonic*tliito s;iy on his own account in this respect when he presents to the House the report of the Ktlucation (‘oimuitt.ee; hut meanwhile it appears only lair to mention that the three Maori members indicated hy Mr Isitt voted in harmony with the wishes of the majority ol their constituents.

PROHIBITION AND POLITICS. It is tn liis credit that the Prime Minister lias done his host to keep prohibition apart from party politics during the tussle over the Licensing Till in the House of Representatives. It looks, however, as if in the ranks of Reform there were some members inclined to place prohibition before party, even if such a step should involve a revision of the tenets of their political faith. "One of the most ardent prohibitionists in the Heform Party,” the " Dominion ” states this morning. “ said yesterday there would he no defection from their leader in conset|iienee of what happened in the House the other day. and there would he no demand for a dissolution, hut at the next election the question would he largely prohibition or no prohibition. Mr Coates in introducing the Licensing Rill did so as a private member, not as Prime Minister. Perhaps tin’s member is correct in his surmise, hut there will he other issues as well, and some of them will not lie so unimportant.” This is a somewhat enigmatic statement of the position, hut there can he no doubt that the introduction of the Licensing Rill into the House, with the Prime Minister in the role of a private member, has gone at least a little way towards shaking the solidarity of parties. This is an outcome which Mr Coates’s predecessors by the wealth of their experience managed to avoid.