"TIED" HOTELS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 179, 29 July 1903, Page 4

"TIED" HOTELS.

ANOTHER ' DEBATE IN THE : | . "COUNCIL. '.!

(By Telegraph—Parliamentary } Reporter.)

WELLINGTON,- this day.

The debate upon the second reading of the Tied Houses Bill was resumed in tiie Legislative Council yesterday after- 1 noon.

The Hon. F. Trask, who spoke first, expressed his opinion that it was one of the most unjust bills ever /'introduced... He rebuked the Hon. Jones for his stricture's on the "trade," in which; he said, there were men quite r.s good as Mr. Jones. In Wellington there were five or-six fr.?e houses that were far. worse than the tied. He would support a bill to compensate, but not to confiscate. The liquor traffic paid £ G12.253 into the Consolidated Fund last year.

The Hon. A. Lee Smith pointed out tlnfc the money invested in the liquor traffic could be diverted into other -channels* which would return as much revenue to the country, and be of far more value to the people! ..There had been a persistent evasion of the law preventing the tying of liouses.. and the bill, though drastic, was excusable, and was not confiscation. Publicans could, he said, find financial accommodation from others than brewers. The Hon. Loiiisson had slid that the brewers would withdraw their money; from licensed premises. That meant that they were jettisoning' certain hotels order to save themselves, in view of t-ic action of the people. The "trade" shouM : he said, see the writing on the wall. ■_ The Hon. F. H. Fraser said that white there were good people engaged , in £•? business, it was a bad busiiu-ss; Tying was sweating. He. quoted figures showing the extent of the urink traffic a?; Home. ■ ■ . - The debate was eventually adjournca until to-day.