Liquor bill delay ’irresponsible’

Press, 2 September 1980, Page 12

Liquor bill delay ’irresponsible’

i By

JOHN COFFEY

The many thousands of officials ana members who come under the • umbrella of .the Sports C&d)S Association of; New Zealand (§ t C.A-N.Z.) have waiting fee: the bill affecting .their ancillary liquor Ijteencses to be '.introduced ■in'.Pdnlianient , • No doubt tjhe liquor, industry ‘(is jiistj as eager to ..yiave debate pnd decision dip . this i tissue of consid-

considerable- .social .significance. Holding at -least a watching brief are the casual drinkers, and w parents of teen-agers; who .might, depending on., the. .bill’s format, soon per- . initted legally to enter licensed premises. But the 1980 Parliamentary . debate on. the liquor lawe. expected some •time ago, has not begun.-,.. Nor is there any indica- j tion when it might start. ( Mr John Kirk, the mem- ! her of PhrJSament ,for Sydenham, vms chairman of the Labour caucus committee which has studied .the recommendations of tile Parliamentary Select ! Committee .on ancillary licences and other matters. Enjoying the comfort- • able and’ organised surroundings of the Suburbs Rugby Club’s complex in Hpon Hay on Saturday . Mr Kirk was not able .to clarify the situation. But the sluggish Mogress obyjously annoys j L *All the assurance of ' the Goyenunent committee . havke been worthless and it has exceeded its own deadline for delivering the ’bill," i Mr Kirk sa»d. “I understood it was to be before the House in August at the latest. August has now gone and we have no indication of the timing of the bill. “I fihink that everyone interested in .the oyer-all liquor <quest?on should now be asking why it has been tucked under some,one’s wmg and put out of <g|ght.;” he said. “I would publicly ask Mr Elworthy (Mr X H. El•worthy, who was .chair•man .of the Select, com.mittee -which drew up imore .than 50 pages of z .considerations and recQm« z .mendatipns last year) when he will stop playing

Politics • with .’the LSiquorwote. ‘ -•-••! •, ,> “When is he going to 1 ■ (give • all of the people t interested the tight to . ihave it decided properly !dn Parliament? The Gov--.emment committee has 'been quite-dilitojy and ir’Ji responsible in its approach,” Mr Kirk said. ’f He could not comment i on the possibility that certain lobbies were being pandered to in the wording » of the bill. « .< Mr Kirk doubted that ; the drinking age would be i Jowered to 18 years — • “some states in the United States which did so are now making moves to revejt, Biit jperhaps the new law will recognise that drinking:in family circum- . stances .and under supervision iis better than . allo wing any 18 year old into any, licensed premises.-” He expressed a Sympa- / thy with sports clubs, pariticularly those of winter . codes (Which under present | legislation may open only ( a few months each year. ■ ' “Only a fool believes that .their buildings stand for just six months. I am satisfied most football clubs (have reasonably full activ/dfy for nine months and , some for 12. Such things as rates and insurance never stop:” 1 He also recommended • an ‘‘honesty .system” for bar trading hours in ■■ sports clubs, with an ac- , curate Jog book to be kept - and penalties to be .imposed for Clearly, some replies, to applications for extensions ; to the present hours were not received until after the event, if at all. .Mr Kirk’s visit 4o Suburbs completed- a cycle. Under -the escort of the Canterbury spokesman for S.G.A.N.Z. (Mr’ T. P. George), Labour members of Parliament have now visited every rugby club in Christchurch. Mr George, irked at recent remarks made by the Liquor Licensing Commission concerning the seasonal close-down of winter • sports clubs, believes that the „ commission should ‘ take the opportunity to inspect club premises and see that “drinking habitsof New Zealanders have changed.” :“I still maintain that the club environment .under /responsible , administration is" .much more preferable than that, in any bar or tayern,”'Mr George said.