LICENSING LAWS CRITICISED

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 242, 9 July 1938, Page 12

LICENSING LAWS CRITICISED

“As Antiquated As The Moa” EFFECT ON DOMINION’S TOURIST TRADE In view of the recent, trend of licensing polls it was astonishing that the licensing laws, which were obsolete, had not been amended, said the lion. E. R. Davis (Aucklandl referring to the value of the tourist traffic to New Zealand when speaking in the Address-in-Reply debate in the Legislative Council yesterday.

Mr. Davis said the licensing laws of to-day had been framed for puritanical times when women would have been ostracised for smoking and using lipstick. They were as antiquated as the moor. The time would come when the museum would have a moa in a glass case, and in its beak the licensing laws of 1938.

The tourist department, Mr. Davis said, was doing good work and New Zealand, in spite of its isolation, was getting more overseas tourists than Canada. The economic significance of the tourist trade was great, and New Zealand had a definite advantage in securing visitors because of tlie exchange rate. Numbers of industries, imd particularly the hotel industry, benefited from the tourist traffic. It was time something was done about the accommodation provided, at tourist resorts, he said. Tourists could not understand why they could not, get drink at some of those resorts, and they expressed the opinion that the restrictions imposed in New Zealand made the country'compare unfavourably with other parts of the world.

ADDRESS-IN-REPLY

More Contributions To Debate

The Address-in-Reply debate was continued in the House of Representatives yesterday. The first speaker was Mr. C. A. Barrell (Government, Hamilton), who said that, ample provision was made iu the overhead costs of industry for the care and maintenance of machines and for their depreciation, but none for the human machine. A worker gave years of service, broke in health, and was then forgotten. That state of affairs would no longer be possible under the social security proposals. Accusations that unfair tactics were being adopted throughout the country by canvassers and others on behalf of the National Party were made by. Mr. Barrell. He said that employees of large firms were being intimidated into joining the National Party. Some of the staffs of the big business houses in Hamilton had been lined up and Informed that the secretary of the National Party was in tlie office, and that if any of them wished to join then .was the opportunity to do so. Mr. W. J. Polson (Opposition, Stratford) : Don’t you think, anyone should be asked to join the National Party? “That is not.the point.” said Mr. Barrell. ”1 am concerned with the tactics employed and what is cricket. Some members of the staffs concerned are courageous enough to declare their political colour and refuse to be intimidated in this way.” “The dairy-farmers of New Zealand are so well satisfied with the guaranteed price scheme that no Opposition member would dare to speak against it to a meeting of dairy-farmers,” said Mr. J. G. Barclay (Government, Marsden). “The dairy-farmers, are solidly behind the scheme.”

There had been criticism of the price paid for this season, said Mr. Barclay. Actually, the average recommended by the commission was 13.41 pence a pound. The Government had decided to pay 13.66 ponce. This was a farthing a pound above the average of the recommendations, and meant an added pay-out of £350.000 to the industry. "It is little wonder that the national dairy conference turned down the suggestion for an independent tribunal,” said Mr. Barclay. “Before he was Minister of Marketing, Mr. Nash addressed a national dairy conference, and put the case for guaranteed prices so well that it is certain that the scheme would then have been adopted. However, consideration of the question was deferred till next day, and during the evening representatives of. the big agents got to work and it was turned down. One of the great things that this Government has done is to eliminate the influence of the big mercantile houses over the dairy industry.”

DEBATE CONCLUDED IN COUNCIL

The debate on the Address-in-Reply was concluded in the Legislative Council yesterday and the motion extending a. respectful address to his Excellency the Governor-General was carried without a division. The council then adjourned till Tuesday, July .19. The Hon. B. C. Robbins (Auckland) said that not for a long time had the farmers been In a better position than they were to-day. The guaranteed price scheme had been a success. Wherever there was a conference of the rank and file of the farmers it was seen that they were thoroughly content with the principle and he believed that they would want it to be continued. The farmers did not. want to. go back to the old order.

For a long time. Mr. Robbins said, there bad been agitation for reform in education, and at the present time they had a Minister of Education who was perhaps the most progressive one the country had ever had. He was bringing down education proposals which Mr. Robbins thought would have the approval of the great majority of people engaged in education. "We are accused of being a Socialist party.” Mr. Robbins said, "and of wanting the State to have control of every walk of life in the Dominion. Some people are saying that, the Government wants to control everybody individually. Socialism is simply 'that which is going to be in tile true interests of the people. We do not say everybody is going to be on the same level, nor do we say we are going to stop initiative. The State has not taken control of any industry until if has been practically asked to by that industry.”