THE LICENSING ISSUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19799, 21 November 1927, Page 10

THE LICENSING ISSUE.

MR. COATES' NEGOTIATIONS COMPROMISE NOT EXPECTED. BILL TO GO TO UPPER HOUSE. FATAL DEADLOCK MAY ARISE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON, Sunday. Not for many years lias there been such intense interest in a political situation as has been created by the developments in regard to the licensing issue. The fact that 27 members of his own party, including six members of his Cabinet—Messrs. Anderson, Nosworthy, Rolleston, Stewart, Wright and Young—voted against the Prime Minister on the Licensing Bill when it was passing through its committee stage, has led to much extravagant speculation, even to the point of suggestions of dissolution of Parliament and an immediate election. The opponents of the present Government have also been talking of grave discontent in the ranks of the prohibitionists in the Reform Party. There are no real grounds for any of these predictions. Naturally strong feeling has been in evidence —as always has been the case—but there is no likelihood of disruption in the Reform Party in consequence of what has happened, for the reason that the question cannot be made a party issue. Neither will there be a dissolution. One of the most ardent prohibitionists in the Reform Party said yesterday there would bo no disaffection from their leader in consequence of what happened in the House the other day, and there would be no demand for a dissolution, but at the next election tho question would be mainly prohibition. Perhaps this member is correct in his surmise, but there will be other issues as well, and some of them will not be unimportant. Apparently Mr. Coates has taken no one into his confidence—not even the members of his own Cabinet —in regard to his future course of action. In this he is quite within his rights, sinco the issue was not one for Cabinet to decide and it was his own bill. His future course of action apparently has not been settled, for until he has either succeeded or failed in his attempts to secure a compromise he cannot decide. That lie will fail in his efforts at compromise is considered certain, by seme, for the simple reason that the advocates of prohibition in the House of Representatives will not agree to alter what has already been decided in regard to the bill by a majority of tho House. The situation will not be cleared up until Mr. Coates' return from Auckland on Tuesday, when ho is to meet three representatives of the other party who have been favouring his bill as it was originally introduced. It is understood that one of these delegates will be a member of the Labour Opposition. As there is nothing to suggest that the negotiations will lead to anything but a dead end, there will apparently then be only one course of action open to Mr. Coates—to bring the bill again on to the Floor of the House, put it through its remaining stages, and pass it on to the Legislative Council. There can be no certainty of what its fate will bo there, but the chances are that either the bill will bo thrown out or amended. Possibly 0110 or other of the principal clauses may tie reinserted or a modified clause in regard to the majority issue may be substituted for that adopted by the House. In that case, there will be a deadlock between the two Houses and the bill. will be killed. LABOUR PARTY'S POSITION. STATEMENT BY MR. HOLLAND. [UY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Saturday. Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposition, handed tho following statement to the press:— "As Leader of the Opposition I am being inundated with telegrams and other messages urging me to bring pressure -to bear upon the Prime Minister to proceed with the Licensing Bill. Some of the messages contain the demand that the bill be reintroduced and all of the bodies and individual correspondents who protest against the Prime Minister's action lose sight of one fact which should be obvious to those who insist that the bill should be introduced. I would point out that it is still on the Order Paper and the Prime Minister can place it first on tho list whenever he wishes. "I regret I have no influence with the Prime Minister in the matter of arranging the order of business, but I would point out that members of the Government party are in an altogether different position. The Reform Party includes a substantial majority of tho prohibitionists and if these members are really sincere in desiring the bill to coir.o on again they should have no difficulty in achieving their object. Everything depends ou the extent to which they are prepared to exercise the power which they possess within their own party. "If the bill is not allowed to proceed it will only bo because tho prohibitionists in the ranks of the Reform Party do not desiro it to proceed."