POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2490, 6 November 1903, Page 5

POLITICAL JOTTINGS.

THE LICENSING BILL. On Friday afternoon last, in moving the second reading of the Licensing Bill, the Premier said his expectations that the bill would please no one had been verified. It pleased neither the trade nor the prohibition party. The trade was objecting to it very strongly, and newspapers representing both sides had written against it. That was very disheartening, as he thought the bill would be received as a bill to settle a difficult matter on lines which would please a large majority of the people of the colony. Mr Bedford strongly opposed the clause proposing to banish liquor from private houses in prohibition districts. Mr Hauan moved as an amendment that consideration be deferred till next session, but this was lost by 32 to 21. Ultimately the bill was read a second time on the voices at 7 a.m.

Sp aking on the Licensing Bill, Mr Taylor said he believed the Premier on this liquor bill was going to meet his Waterloo. As to the "no license, no liquor " clause, the way the Premier gloated over it went to prove that he deliberately designed it in the cause of the trade.

Some expressions thrown across the floor of the House in the early hours of Saturday morning which escaped the notice of the Speaker until the Pender resumed control of the House were very degrading to Parliament, which pretends to be sosqueunish and regardful of its dignity in connection with breaches of privilege.} For example, whenMr 11. M'Kenzie charged Mr M'Lachlan of being " a tool of Tommy Taylor," the member for Ashburton promptly retcrted with : " I have never become a factotum. You are a dirty blackguard. You are drunk." Many other equally strong expressions were «x----changed.j