Notice Of Amendment

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30586, 31 October 1964, Page 3

Notice Of Amendment

Provisions in the bill, facilitating the removal of licences, said Mr Hanan, represented the Government view that rather than add to the number of liquor outlets, it would be better to relax restrictions on removal. TTiis would allow more existing licences to go from places where they were not needed to places where they were.

Provision for the removal of licences up to 50 miles—and further in special cases—would do something to improve the situation in small borough populations needing one or two hotels but with four or five. “But I am not sure that it will cure the problem.”

The procedure would lessen opportunities for new hotels run by local trusts, particularly since the commission was to be required to heed the desirability of effecting a better distribution of licences. View on Trusts “Nothing in this bill affects in any way the establishment of suburban trusts in present no-licence areas. While I do not oppose local trusts, I do not agree for a moment that a trust hotel is a fundamental and sacrosanc.. right of any community any more than is a trust running T.A.B. premises, a petrol station, a chemist’s shop or any other business whose numbers are limited by law.” Dr. A. M. Finlay (Opp., Waitakere), described the bill as dangerous and deplorable, made even more so by its appearance of innocence. He gave notice of an amendment he intended to move “that this House will agree to read this bill a second time when provision has been made in it for the taking of a trust poll of residents in all cases where it is proposed to establish a hotel premises licence in any district, whether by the removal of an existing licence or the creation of a new one.” The bill would have been innocuous, even praiseworthy, 10 years ago, said Dr. Finlay. But, in its present form, he had no doubt at all of its consequences—it would effectively stifle any further growth of the local trust movement. The hostility of the licensed trade movement to trust hotels had been apparent for

some time. It was now quite plain the same hostility was to be found in the hearts of some Government members. "I wonder whether the death blow this will give to the trust movement is just a consequence of the rationalisation of the distribution of hotel licences, or whether it. is the real motive behind the bill.” Dr. Finlay suggested power be given to the Licensing Control Commission to make a monetary grant to hotels forced to give up their licences because the hotels were no longer needed. Many redundant hotels survived only by after-hours trading, however, and to make them a grant would be to compensate them for breaking the law. He also suggested that finance be made more readily available for setting up local trust hotels, or that this be brought more under the scope of local bodies. Local residents should have a say in what sort of hotel they should set up in their district, said Dr. Finlay. If this measure went through in its present form, there would be no more trust hotels created in New Zealand. The debate was interrupted by the adjournment.