Government Attacked For Attitude To Liquor

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30839, 26 August 1965, Page 6

Government Attacked For Attitude To Liquor

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 25. Recent governments were intent upon “throwing morality, Christ and His church to the wolves of the liquor trade,” the Statutes Revision Committee was told in a letter made public today.

Correspondence dealing with proposals in the Sale of Liquor Amendment Bill was released this morning by the committee at its final hearing of submissions.

Before today’s sitting, the committee had heard oral submissions from 21 organisations and individuals in a series of six hearings which began on July 27. To date, five written submissions and 15 letters have been received by the committee. In one letter, from the steward of the Mangonui circuit of the Methodist Church, Mr E. Naughton, of Kaitaia, said:

“It appears there is every reason to believe, and it becomes increasingly apparent, that recent Governments are intent upon throwing morality, Christ and His Church to the wolves of the liquor trade.

“Morality of the nation, the crime rate and the cramming of our mental hospitals appear to be of little consequence so long as the trade’ is appeased. Opposition to measures in the bill regarding sports clubs charters and extended facilities for licensed restaurants was expressed in a letter from the temperance committee of the Methodist Church.

“In a country which likes to regard itself as Christian, it seems more than a little incongruous that a clause in the bill is especially devoted to facilitating the selling or serving of liquor on Sundays or Good Friday,” the commit-

tee said Sports Clubs On sports clubs charters, the letter said: “The committee believes that many sportsmen are not interested in mixing sport with drinking, and are of the opinion this proposal is creating a demand

rather than meeting it.

“It is not convinced that a sports club has established a case for liquor charters ahead of othei social groups. “It is our opinion that if this bill is not proceeded with, you and your Government would earn the respect and support of a far larger portion of the community than you imagine,” the letter said. In its written submissions, the public questions committee of the Associated Churches of Christ in New Zealand said facilities for the sale of liquor already were more than adequate to meet the reasonable demands of the people, and the extensions provided for in the bill were therefore unnecessary. It objected for two reasons to clauses dealing with licensed restaurants. “As a large percentage of the users of restaurants, are of the motoring and travelling public, these extensions of drinking facilities, particularly the provisions for Sunday sales, will inevitably increase the danger of accidents on the road, which have already reached an alarmingly high level.” ,

“Drinking House”

The public questions committee also objected on the grounds the provisions would “tend to make the licensed restaurant become a drinking house.”

It submitted no provision should be made for sports clubs charters. "We consider the extension of facilities for the sale of liquor to sports dubs is entirely unnecessary as we understand the locker system is available.”

The public questions committee agreed that if the extension were made, restriction of hours of sale as provided in the bill was Si wise requirement.” But on the premise that the measure could result in the springing up of numerous

premises licensed under sports dubs charters, it feared the strict supervision necessary would be “most difficult, if not a practical impossibility to provide.”

A letter signed by citizens of the no-licence districts of Wellington requested that provision related to licensed restaurants be withdrawn, and that the bill be amended to preclude the granting of sports dubs’ charters and the issue of any further restaurant licences in no-licence areas.

The group of citizens also asked for amendment of the bill to prevent the serving of liquor in a licensed restaurant to under the age of 21. The Marlborough Labour

Representation Committee protested against extension of liquor licences to sports dubs, airports and restaurants.

Young Members

“We feel that younger members of sports dubs such as tennis and football would be encouraged to partake of intoxicating liquor which they

normally would not have access to,” the letter said. “Liquor has wrought untold havoc in this fair land, and the liberalising of its sale cannot help but have disastrous effects,” wrote Captain N. Pearce McNabb of the Salvation Army territorial headquarters. “I trust your committee will do all in their power to curb the spread of this frightful scourge.” The Waikato district Women’s Christian Temperance U nion voiced concern over “the increasing ease with which liquor can be obtained,” and the W.C.T.U. organisation at Cambridge protested against measures in the bill for licensed restaurants and sports dubs. “We feel very strongly about these matters, and wish to remind the committee that we have one of the highest accident rates and highest immorality of any country in the world,” the Cambridge W.C.T.U. wrote.

Women’s Rights In written submissions, the New Zealand Alliance raised the question of the rights of a sports club’s women members to decide whether the club would receive a charter.

Mr T. J. Young, general superintendent of the Alliance, submitted that Parliament should consider whether women members should have rights equal with the men to determine whether their club should have a charter, and if so, the matters involved in operation of a charter. The Alliance also asked for consideration of what constituted club membership for purposes of the bill. “Does it extend only to “playing members,’ or does it embrace associate and social members?”

If membership did include the latter the provision that at least 80 per cent of the sports club members were to be of or over the age of 21 was all the more useless, the Alliance said.

The Invercargill Licensing Trust, in written submissions to the committee, said:

“The provisions of the bill are regarded as a further encroachment into the legitimate functions of the hotel industry and the whittling away of revenue so necessary for providing new promises and maintaining existing ones, without in any way imposing financial or other obligations on chartered clubs.”

Added Amenity

The trust suggested that liquor selling facilities jn any club—and particularly a sports club—should be merely an added social amenity. “The selling of liquor should not be permitted to such an extent that the activity becomes a more predominant activity of the club than the taking part in the actual sport itself.”

It recommended an amendment that at least 90 per cent of club members must be full members actively participating in the sport, and not more than 10 per cent of club members, excluding those under the age of 21, be honorary or non-participating members.

The trust opposed any effort to secure off-sale rights for chartered clubs. “The ques-

tion of competition from chartered clubs is a very real one,” it said. “The granting of sports clubs charters could and undoubtedly would in some cases seriously embarrass financially many hotelkeepers in country areas.”

From Brewery The trust suggested the Sale of Liquor Act, 1962, should be amended to legalise the sale or delivery of beer or stout directly from any brewery to any licensee authorised under his licence to sell beer and stout “The volume of bottled ale and stout sold in New Zealand today is such that it would not be physically possible for it all to be received into the delivery from wholesale merchants’ stores,” the trust submitted. The Ashburton Licensing Trust wrote that it viewed with apprehension the proposal to grant charters to sports clubs and others with a predominantly adult membership. “These dubs, which contribute nothing in taxation, have bars usually operated by voluntary labour and may sell at lower prices, seriously affecting hotel trading and profits,” the trust said. “A charter also confers the right to purchase liquor at the same cost to hotels. “It is essential that hotels retain their present liquor sales as no other industry has the responsibility of providing accommodation.” Wine Sales The National Council—which made its submissions on Jrdy 27—commented on statements made about the sale and manufacture of wine in New Zealand. “We believe the views of those interested in the wine industry, which have been placed before this committee, do not reflect the views of a majority, assessed in terms of production,” wrote the council’s chief executive, Mr J. W. Thompson. He said there had been suggestions the wine industry had been ignored by hotels, merchants and proprietary companies, but in fact considerable capital had been invested by those interests in the wine industry. There had been a spectacular increase in demand for some New Zealand wines, Mr Thompson said. “But it is popularity, based on public acceptance and appreciation—not restriction because of size of output or vineyard—which dictates the range of wines stocked.

“It is idle to suggest that a competitive business would reject a product for which there is consumer demand,” Mr Thompson said.