LICENSING BILL STILL ALIVE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 334, 20 April 1928, Page 1

LICENSING BILL STILL ALIVE

House to Express Opinion Again

PROHIBITION MEMBERS DOMINATE REFORM (Special to THE SUNJ WELLINGTON, To-day. ALTHOUGH no announcement was made in specific terms as to the intention of the Government in regard to the Licensing Bill it is regarded as certain, in well informed circles, that as an outcome of the Reform caucus the Bill will he reintroduced in the coming session of Parliament with a view to the opinion of the present House of Representatives being made law. It is likely that the Bill will be in such a form that the free and untrammelled opinion of the House will be given effect to, and if this is so the holding of the next licensing poll may be upon a hare majority. There will be much lobbying done on behalf of both licensed trade and nolicense organisations during the coming session, and members of the Legislative Council will receive a good deal of attention from those interested, but the general opinion among politicians is that the Council would hesitate before making any drastic alterations in the Bill as it comes from the Lower House. From what can be gathered Reform members who are pledgee! to a hare majority had a definite understanding with their party leader, and, though the proceedings were of most amicable character, the preponderance of members in the party definitely pledged to a bare majority and threeyear polls, made the solution of the problems confronting the caucus a moderately easy one, especially as Licensing legislation is always dealt with from a non-party point of view.