LICENSING BILL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 32, 17 November 1948, Page 4

LICENSING BILL

Select Committee Sitting TIED HOUSES QUESTIONS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 16. At a sitting of the Parliamentary select committee on the Licensing Amendment Bill to-day submissions in writing from Mr H. T. Innes, managing director of C. L. Innes and Company, brewers, were read urging that the proposed Licensing Commission be given powers to deal with the question of tied houses.

The commission should be empowered, he urged to give protection to the small brewer and to act as a court of appeal open to any section of the trade subjected to uneconomic or unfair trade practices. The commission should also be given power to make recommendations to the Minister of Customs on the distribution of licences for the importation of spirits. Mr M. Moolian (Government, Petone): The position is that many small brewers when they have no spirit licence , find it difficult to sell their beer.

The Minister of Justice (the Hon. H. G. R. Mason): I don’t think we have power to deal with this. Mr J. Mathison (Government, Avon), chairman of the committee: I think we might have some evidence about it and perhaps make a recommendation. The Minister said the Licensing Commission was to have power in its annual report to the House to make recommendations for the betterment of the liquor trade. This was such a matter.

A long written submission by Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M., made suggestions for redrafting many clauses of the Bill. He said some of the clauses perpetuated difficulties in the legal working of previous legislation. He also proposed that the number of local licensing committees should he reduced and that powers at present delegated to the chairman and two members of such committees should he given in future to the chairman alone. His recommendations included clarification of the position of the granting of special licences for smoke concerts and similar gatherings. After some discussion by the committee it was agreed that Mr Luxford’s submission should be summarised and commented upon by the Justice Department. The committee will then consider it and determine whether it wil accede to Mr Luxford’s suggestion that he should appear personally. The committee adjourned till 10.30 a.m. to-morrow.

KING COUNTRY CLUBS REQUEST MADE FOR CHARTERS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 16. To prevent “a reversion to slygroggingl, illicit distilling, and general undesirable practices in the King Country,” representative of five social clubs in the area in submissions today to the Parliamentary select committee on the Licensing Amendment Bill asked that their clubs be granted charters immediately. They said that as a lesult of the action of the police in picliibiting the sale of liquor m their clubs sly-grogging bad sprung up again and production had fallen in timber mills and coal mines, because of ab.-en.ieeism.

“The introduction of clubs in th a King CVu’ijby did away with :«iuethinig ho were ashamed of— v'y-grog ging,” said the president of the Taum arunui and District Returned Services’ Association (Mr J. Pierce). In the period when sly grog was sold, he said, the liquor had been shocking and prices exorbitant. The formation of clubs had gradually put the slygroggers out of business, because the clubs enabled men to buy liquor at a reasonable price and provided a place for social contact and organised, relaxation.

The clubs had also reduced absenteeism, he said. The old system had adversely affected industries and production.* The clubs had been _ re sponsible for increasing production. They had strict club rules and, if a man did not conform to them, he was automatically expelled or suspended from all the clubs to which he might belong. Mr Pierce said his club wanted a charter irrespective of, the result of a referendum.

Evidence of a fall in production and an increasing number of slygroggers under the old system was given by the president of the Taumarunui Cosmopolitan Club (Mr S. B'ishara), the president of the Oliura Cosmopolitan Club (Mr J. F. Libline), the president of the Manunui Club (Mr A. R. Dockery), and the secretary of the Taumarunui Club (Mr H. Payne). To-morrow, the committee will hear submissions on behalf of chartered clubs, from chambers of commerce, and from public bodies. On Thursday, submissions from the council of the licensed trade and from the New Zealand Alliance will be heard. CRITICISM OF POLICE (P.A.)' WELLINGTON, Nov. 16. Action by the police concerning prosecutions begun after liquor raids on Taumarunui district social clubs were criticised in evidence before the select committee of the House of Representatives on the Licensing Amendment Bill to-day.

The president of the Taumarunui Returned Services’ Association (Mr J. tV. Pierce) said that after his club had been raided lie was served with an individual summons. Later a polico inspector, when approached and asked why the club, which was incorporated and suable had not been cited instead, had offered to withdraw the individual summonses and prosecute the clubs if an undertaking was given that they would close down at once. Similar evidence was given by others of a deputation of five representing social clubs. It was stated that police action followed the arrival of a new inspector in the district. Mr W. S. Goosman (Opposition, Piako) said it seemed a serious charge against the police. Mr S. Bishara said that the day before a case was due to come for hearing the inspector and a sergeant had told the solicitor who saw them that

the club would be summonsed provided <he club closed down until it could operate legally.)