“MAJOR HEADACHE” TO FIX WORDING

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31321, 17 March 1967, Page 1

“MAJOR HEADACHE” TO FIX WORDING

Liquor Referendum

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 16. The Government’s proposed referendum this year on the sale-of-liquor hours in hotel bars was described tonight by the Minister of Justice (Mr Hanan) as a “major headache.” Revealing the Government’s provisional thinking on voting papers, he said it had in mind two alternatives.

One voting paper would read: “I vote for closing at 6 p.m. as at present,” and the other would read: “I vote for closing at 10 p.m. with no increase in hours and a break for an evening meal.”

But Mr Hanan, who was opening the licensing trusts conference at Invercargill, said:

“I confess that there seem to be as many different views on this as there are people to express them.”

Commenting that since the Government was committed to a referendum to decide that issue, the problem facing it was to decide on what proposition the people would be asked to express their view.

“This is what I mean by referring to a headache,” he said. The Minister commented: “What the 'Government has to do is to walk the narrow tight-rope between being too specific and too vague. “The voting paper must of course be impartial—while at the same time it must clearly tell the electors what they are voting for or against.

“It would be simple enough to ask whether the people prefer the present hours or a change,” he said, “but if one is going to have a referendum that seems rather too vague.

“There must be some concrete alternative proposed. But if we get too complicated there will be confusion,” said Mr Hanan. The Minister said he wished to make it quite clear that the Government was not wedded to a voting paper in any form yet “Indeed,” he said, “we are anxious to know what the various interests with practical experience in the field think.” Last In 1949 The last referendum on liquor hours was held in 1949 when the present 6 p.m. closing time was supported by a three-to-one majority. The alternative in that year was 10 p.m. closing Asked if any proposed change in hours this year would involve an extension

of the total number of opening hours, Mr Hanan said: “I think the people are to be told this if they are not simply to vote blindly.” He said it also seemed proper that the public should know, if a change was favoured, if hotels were to close for a period to allow drinkers to go home and have their evening meal. “One of the criticisms that has been made against our 1949 voting paper was that it was not specific enough on this and that people did not know just what they would be letting themselves in for if they favoured 10 o’clock closing,” Mr Hanan said.

Referring to liquor hours, the Minister said doing away with 6 o’clock closing in New South Wales and Victoria had meant an extension of hours —but this had not been acompanied by any corresponding rise in the amount of liquor consumed. Total Hours “However,” he said, “many of those in New Zealand who favour a change have stressed that they do not want to see the total number of hours increased; and I am not sure myself that this would be a good thing in any event.” Mr Hanan said the argu-

ments for and against a meal break were more finely balanced. “I am aware that a number of groups feel there should be no break,” he said. Closing Period The Minister added that the licensing trade generally would prefer no break in hours. “Nevertheless, the Government feels there are advantages in providing for a closing period if there are to be evening hours." Referring to the “vexed question” of whether hours of sale should necessarily be the same in all parts of New Zealand, Mr Hanan said: “I think everybody would agree that uniform hours are the ideal.

“But what is to be done if, to take a hypothetical example, the people of Westland favour a change of hours by an overwhelming majority, but the people of, say, Auckland, are solidly against any change? Second Part “Is it fair,” he asked, “that what suits Auckland is to be imposed on Westland?” Mr Hanan said the Government was therefore considering whether it would be useful to have a second part of any voting paper in which the public are asked whether they think hours should be determined nationally or locally. “If this were done,” he said,” I would not regard it as absolutely binding, but it would give the Government a very good indication of the feelings of our people on this matter.”