A. AND P. SHOWS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 85, 7 October 1933, Page 25

A. AND P. SHOWS

EXCLUSION POWERS

AMENDING BILL

i For an, hour and a. half, yesterday j I afternoon, the House of Eepresentativcs debated the Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Amendment Bill, the second' reading of which1 was moved- by the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. C* . E. MacmilJan). The measure give* j A. and: P. Societies authority to mak»; bylaws regulating admissions to shows,; and it .was stated by; the Government j that the object of the Bill was mainly]; to control sideshowmen.'The; only'Oppo-i sition was expressed b.y'members of: the Labour Party, who claimed that »uf• | ficient legislative authority abeady.ex. j isted :for the control of eideshowmen..

, The debate was continued after ••The i Post" went to press. . • • : Mr. J. Linklater (Government, Maua-j watu) congratulated 'the Minister of j Agriculture in bringing forward the ■'. Bill. Taken as a whole the showmen, were law-abiding people* but there were j some who should be excluded for the i good of the people. Mr. F. W. Schramm (Labour, Auek-j land East) said everyone agreed that' undesirables should ;be banned front shows, bui the Bill went much further than- that. It gave the A. and• •P. Societies the right to exclude almost apyj person whatever. •:'■"-.-.'■ > Mr. B. Semple (Labour, Wellington East) said that the law given to th» racing people had been abused, and tf« did not want a repetition ,of that., , The Prhne Minister- (the -Bt. Hpni G. W. Forbes) said that the A. and P. Associations were desirous of -making their show grounds as popular is possible. The proposed bylaws had to be approved by tho Governor-General, ana that was a safeguard, ■as the: bylaws would be isubijeet to Berutiny, He thought-the Bill was a safe -One,^ and | "one that was required; ' r^ : j The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland) agreed that the public should" have protection. •' However, iHi the Police Offences Act and other, stati utes there was adequate protection^' He was desirous that no power eiinilar, to that given to the Eacing Conference should be bestowed on A. and P. So-1 cieties. ... Eeplying, the Minister of Agncultura (the Hon. C. E. Macmillan) saidthere was no "niggerin the woodpile" in th« Bill. There was io provision-for KeenBing showmen in existing legislation. The Bill was read a second time.