LICENSING BILL.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue 152, 14 September 1928, Page 2

LICENSING BILL.

SECOND READING DEBATE. ARE THE BALI/OT PAPERS PRINTED? INTERESTING DISCLOSURES (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, Last night. When the House met to-night the Prime Minister opened the second reading debate of (lie Licensing Bill by outlining its provisions. Apart from the moral aspect of prohibition, he said, there wits Ihe finance of the country to lie considered. He did not stress' it very strongly, because lie knew his Finance Minister did nut igrce with him. Tie might sav, “(ii\c me ten years and 1 will make the finance up,” but nil the same lie (Mr Coates) felt that tin* revenue aspect of the question should not be Inst sight of. He asked members to pass a Licensing Bill this session, because it was of great importance that the question should lie got rid of and the political atmosphere cleared. PREFERENTIAL VOTING. Mr H. E. Holland (Leader of the Opposition) said that if he thought there was anv serious intention n! passing the hill lie would take it sen ously, and he would again move (lie amendment he moved last year tu have the three-issue ballot paper with preferential voting. He then drew intention to the peculiar position of'tlie bill. It was brought down by Govcr nor-Gcnenil’s message, yet it was said it was not a Government hill. He always understood when His Excellenev sent a message to the House he did so on the advice of his advisees, but apparent Iv in this ease lie was acting on the advice of only one adviser, and that not in his capacity as Prime Minister, hut as a private number. As (lie crux of the licensing poll was the question whether the result was a true reflex of public opinion, he would have though) the Prime Minister would have broil"ht down a single clause nroviding for a three-issue ballot naner with preferential voting, bn* evidently the prohibition party in the House did not want a mnjoritx in that wav He then proceeded to refe. to the ballot papers, contending licit the whole of the ballot papers to he used at the next election were printed with three issues oil then: vet. in file.' ,f that the Prime Minister brines down n hill providing for two-issue ballot papers BALLOT PAPERS PRINTED If not all the ballot pepers were printed, then the Minister in choree of the Electoral Department admitted this afternoon that 1 ftO.OOft were printed, and he said they were for absent voters. There were not IflO,nnn absent voters in tbe Dominion. The Minister said thev had been printed under the provision of the \et. hut he could not find anv danse : n anv Act or regulation direct me that this he done. He suggested that a committee of members be set an to examine the ballot papers in the Government Printing Office and report tn the House. If that were done lie was confident it would expose the insincerity of a Government who would mint ballot papers with three issues and bring down a bill providing for two issues. One method was goine on behind the hacks of members and another method was going on on the floor of the House, and that was proof of insincerity. Apart from that there was much ill tin* hill to which objection could he taken, but it was m evident that there was no serious intention to pass the hill that he would not take anv further part in the discussions on it. MR McLEOD IN REPLY.

The Hon. A. D. McLeod said he was always opposed to the bare majority on the licensing question, and he still thought so. With regard to the charge made by the Trader of the Opposition, he declared that the information must have been obtained from some worker in the printing office who had violated his oath of secrecy. Personally he knew nothin? of what was going on in the printing office till noon to-day. He then made inquiries but had not received official information when he spoke in the House this afternoon. He now had lhat information and he read the official statement, which was to the effect that the licensing ballot papers for absent voters had been printed, but only those. The Prime Minister knew nothing of the printing of the ballot papers, and the Leader of the Opposition had used his information for no other than party purposes. PROHIBITION NOT TEMPERANCE. Mr T. M. Wilford (Hutt) said he had not altered his opinion, and lhat was that prohibition was not temperance. He stood for temperance, and his observations in America had convinced him that prohibition had done more harm to the youth of America than could he devised. Prohibition in America had been promoted with the very best intentions, but experience had shown that it produced quite other results. In Canada, which w» f British, prohibition had been carried as a result of the labors of many fine men, hut as a result of the effects of that movement these men had fought for its repeal. Mr Wilford protested against the elimination of tile State Control issue from the ballot pape* because that deprived him of an opportunity to east the vote he wanted to cast. He did not want to he forced to vote for either Continuance or Prohibition, as the bill forced hi® to do. He therefore proposed to move an amendment to restore that issue As a New Zealander he objected 10 being made an extremist one way 01 the other. As to the bare majority he was opposed to it. Prohibition could not be enforeed under it. Mr W. D. Lvsnar (Gislwrnc) favor ed the three issues and he favored the poll being taken on some apart from the day of the Henei'io Election. The Prime Minister was advised in bringing this hill do* ll this year, because a majority of members were pledged against it. The debate was eontinued until a.m., when the second reading of the bill was agreed to.