Political Move Suggested

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31225, 24 November 1966, Page 1

Political Move Suggested

“It seems peculiar to me that the clubs for years were not allowed to open from noon on General Election days and now they are,” said the secretary of the Canterbury Hotel Workers’ Union (Mr L. N. Short) last evening.

“It could be a political move. Some bright spark in the National Party has seen this loophole. The members of the workingmen's clubs could go to the clubs, get tiddly, and then find it is too late to vote.

“The police have been going round telling the clubs they can remain open and that seems suspicious. A sergeant in Lyttelton told the manager of the workingmen’s club there that he had to open, and that he could be prosecuted if he did not.

'We will certainly be do-

ing something about this tomorrow,” Mr Short said. “We will seriously consider telling our members on the staffs of chartered clubs to go and vote.

“It is all very peculiar. I can’t see any loophole, but 1 can see two other sections in the Sale of Liquor Act where the clubs could be prosecuted if they serve drinks on Saturday. “Will the police be as active in seeing that there are no illegal visitors in clubs on Saturday afternoon as they have been in telling clubs to open?”