EARLY CLOSING.

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 July 1916, Page 5

EARLY CLOSING.

LKHM REStRICnON. m

MORE DISCUSSION IN PARLIA- 1

MENU.

TUSSLE TO COME IN COMMITTEE

[BY TKLEGEAPH —SpECIAI TO “STAB.’}

WELLINGTON, This Day.

The second leading debate ,on the War Regulations. Bill was resinned yesterday, when further arguments on the subjects of. liquor consumption and V the venereal scourage were advanced by membei’s, a number of whom linked the two subjects, contending that the brothel and disease were corollaries to excessive drinking. Members favoring early closing showed their belief that 8 o’clock would be adopted. A

. Their position was put by Mr. Wilkinson, who declared that 8 to 8 would meet the wishes of the majority. This would be moved in committee, and if defeated an attempt would be made to secure a referendum on the subject The country 'would surely cany an early closing issue, V. ». Mr. Isitt drew attention to the close

relation between drinking v and venereal disease. Colonel Potter himself admitted that when > men got three or four, drinks in and lost, celfcontrol, they were prone to go- along to women from whom they contracted * the disease. The country was always told that the economic causes had to be considered if we were going to win . the war. Ought we not to commence on the chief sources of waste? Four millions had been spent on i liquor, equal to the sum put through the totaiisator, annually. This-would not cause a single moment’s, injury to the nation’s efficiency. He admitted tliat ■earlier closing .of bars would Icalise loss, but nobody knew better than the Attorney-General that it was Mot equivalent to tearing Up a “scrap of paper-” ■ '

“Nobody knows better than the At-torney-General,” said Mr. Isitt, “that in his opening he was guilty of special pleading, I have a great admiration for him. There is something of the .bulldog about the way he sticks to His. ■ case. I hope I shall some day see him exalted to the Bench. I venture to say if Mr. Justice Herd-man in- esse, he’d scarify the lawyer who opens Hitt case with anything like the statement he made that six o’clock closing was equivalent to tearing up a ‘scrap; Of paper.’ What was the contract under which liquor licenses wex-e granted? A license wqs not a monopoly but {a permit; everyone who got such a permit knew exactly the conditions of sie permit. As to the ‘scrap of paper,’ was it torn when the closing hour was reduced from eleven to ten,* when, a whole day was taken away and Sunday trading was prohibited? It was recognised the liquor men that permits were granted subject to con-, iditions, and the Attorney-General knew there was no legal claim ‘ for compensation whatever. " • VENEREAL DISEASE.' j ' Dr. Newman declared that the .small amount of venereal disease in the camps was a recoid, compared with other countries.. Ho objected .to the Minister’s methods of tackling -wbat should be useful work. , His speech teemed with coercion. The woman tempted was to be treated as a criminal, while the tempter escaped. U Mr. Russell: “I said exactly the opposite.” , £■: Dr. Newman: “This clause is an insult to the women. There are 1400 policy in New Zealand. -You give therh the right to pounce on any woman going home at night if she isr with 4 soldier. It’s the C.D. Act over again,” Dr. Thacker: “Rot.” :

Mr. Webb urged State control oi the liquor traffic, but he was opposed to six o’clock closing because it would not affect brewers but would strike hard at the licensees, many of whom were barely making ends meet nor. lie contended that, even if the hotels were closed at six, young men would go to other places for drink, often to houses of ill-fame.

The debate ended with Mr. Herdman’s reply at 11.30. v Mt

The Minister declared that interference with hotels would throw persona out of employment. Even Prohibitioniat's admitted that there had been no undue .drunkenness among soldiers. Their real ‘object was to take advantage of the situation to get the hotel* closed. (Hear, hear, and no, ho.) None of the police evidence showed the necessity for early closing. The police preferred to know where the men were; As for economic arguments,, why seize on hotels? To be logical other businesses should be interfered with, but the House dare not.do this. It was impossible to make people sober by Act of Parliament. An unnecessarily harsh law would always be got rounds The Bill was read a second time without division and the House nose at 11.40 p.m.