Remit On Liquor Hours Passed

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30191, 24 July 1963, Page 8

Remit On Liquor Hours Passed

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 23. A licensing remit, aimed at spreading licensing hours from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m„ was passed by the National Party conference today on the recommendation of one of the remit committees which met yesterday afternoon.

This was the only committee recommendation dealt with this morning which met strong opposition. All other committee recommendations were adopted by the full conference. The licensing remit had to be put twice to the vote at this morning’s session before being passed on a show of hands.

It asks the Government to amend legislation “to provide no addition to, but a revision of trading hours in all districts between the hours, of 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. with licensees required to apply to local licensing committees for the hours desired for their hotels.”

The committee chairman (Mr C. F. Jacobs) reported to the conference that the main object of the remit was to curtail the evils of the five

to six swill. It was considered that such drinking was caused by the present hours which in some districts were quite unsuitable for public requirements.

If the right w a s granted to local licensing committees to vary the laws that hotels were open it was thought that these privileges would not be granted lightly. Mr Jacobs said present National Party policy pledged no alteration or extension to the hours to which liquor should be sold, except by referendum.

The conference passed the committee’s recommendation, and also other recommendations relating to penalties for crime, land valuation. State house sections, Crown land, drainage board powers, licensing trusts, N.A.C. and T.E.A.L., traffic officers’ uniforms and Saturday morning work.

Rotorua Next Venue

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 23. Next year’s National Party conference will be held in Rotorua, the president (Mr J. S. Meadowcroft) announced today. The 1965 conference will be in the Otago-Southland area.