Private Bill On Trusts Sought

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32381, 21 August 1970, Page 12

Private Bill On Trusts Sought

Representatives of the Waimairi and Paparua County Councils will ask local members of Parliament to introduce a private member’s bill into Parliament seeking legislative changes to enable councils to initiate local licensing trusts.

This information was given last evening at the Waimairi County Council’s meeting.

The council was told that representatives of the two councils had met last month to discuss the establishment of trusts and current legislation.

The meeting had been shown a letter, written in 1969, in which the member for Wigram (Mr M. A. Connelly) had said he would

consider promoting a private member’s bill. In 1968, the Counties Association had resolved that the Act should be amended to make provision that where strong public support could be shown for the establishment of a trust the Licensing Control Commission must consider such support when determining whettier a new licence was needed, and must require a trust poll to determine if the licence should be granted to a trust

Mr Connelly had been told in 1969 that the Government did not propose to introduce legislation along these lines during the present session, the meeting was informed. He was told that present Government policy was that where a hotel or tavern was needed, applications for removal of an uneeded licence to that area should have preference over the creation of a new licence.

The Waimairi County chairman (Cr D. B. Rich) had told the meeting that it was fairly obvious that the only possibility of getting legislation changed was to get Mr Connelly to introduce a private member’s bill, a report said. The meeting had decided that draft proposals should be drawn up and approved by the two councils, and that a meeting should then be arranged with local members of Parliament with a view to them introducing and supporting a private member’s bill.