TEMPERANCE REFORM

Evening Star, Issue 20780, 30 April 1931, Page 8

TEMPERANCE REFORM

OTAGO COUNCIL The monthly meeting of the Otago Temperance Reform Council was held on Tuesday evening. The Rev. John Pringle presided, and there was a good attendance of members and delegates. The Chairman made reference to the judgment of the Privy Council in the Ashburton licensing case, stressing the benefits of having a dominion body such as the New Zealand Alliance to fight questions ot the kind in tho interests of temperance reform, in view of the dangerous position created by a recent court decision. The following resolution with reference to brewers and brewery licenses was adopted, and the secretary was instructed to forward it to the Prime Minister and Otago members of Parliament:— “ That the Otago Temperance Reform Council enters its most emphatic prates'; against tho action of a Government servant giving his departmental and unconstitutional promise to a private commercial syndicate that a brewery license would be granted, the promise obviously being used for the securing of application for shares in Lager Breweries Ltd., the Comptroller of . Customs thereby usurping the functions of the Minister of Customs, who, as the courts have deci ’ .d, could only consider the applications for a brewery license when the buildings had been erected and other law formalities complied with.

Further, this council submits that it was incumbent on the Prim© Minister and tho Minister of Customs, when the faulty ■ law had been revealed by the courts—seeing that ho had already refused this brewery license—to intimate his intention at the first opportunity to have the law made clear, giving to the Crown the right of refusal of licenses for the manufacture of intoxicating beverages. “ This council further petitions the Prime Minister that legislation be introduced restricting brewers and importers of alcoholic beverages to the supply of of the retail trade only, for the reason that the greater part of sly grog-selling in licensed and no-license districts is fostered and made easy in the supply of liquor by wholesale merchants and brewers to unlicensed sellers.”

Mrs W. H. Hiett, vice-president of the N.Z.W.C.T.U., gave an interesting account of the proceedings relating to temperance work at tho recent dominion convention. The Chairman conveyed the thanks of the council to Mrs Hiett for her address.

Gratification was expressed by the council that the Chancellor of the Exchequer in this week’s Budget, in face of a “ permanent tendency ” in falling liquor revenue, and estimated decrease of £7.500,000 this year from liquor taxation, had expressed the conviction “ that from the point of view of the nation’s wellbeing it was heartily to be welcomed.”