SIDE-SHOW FOLK

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 12078, 18 October 1933, Page 4

SIDE-SHOW FOLK

A. AND P. SOCTETIEF MAY BAN i"i ■ ■ “UNDESIRABLES.’’. CONTROVERSIAL AIEAEUI^E. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT URGED N TO ADMINISTER ACT. BILL PASSES COMMITTEE STAGEPress Association 1 WELLINGTON Oct 17 Speaking in the House of Representatives in the committee .stage o n the short title of the Agricultural and Pastoral Societies Amendment Bill, Air. Schramm (L) criticised the clause giving societies the Power to prohibit certain classes of people from going on. to the showgrounds. He said that societies might draw up 20 or 30 sets of regulations, all of which would he different, and nrgod that provision should he made for the issue of one set of regulations to apply to shows throughout New Zealand' He agreed that people wh 0 were allowed to fun side-shows should be under control, and not allowed to swindle the public Air. Howard (L) said-the Bill would give power to the people outside the Justice Department to class others as criminals. The Hon. J. C. Cobb c said that the Police Department favored, the Bilk Far from making criminals, it would have the effect of keeping criminals away from shows. . Mr. Kyle (O said the police wanted the Bill passed because under the present law there were difficulties in the way of keejring undesirables off showgrounds. It was often difficult for the police to obtain definite proof of the illegality of some side-shows, because confederates warned showmen when. the police was approachingThere was an association of showmen who for their own protection desired that the Bill should be passed. Mr. Lee (L) said the Minister could soothe all fears about the Bill if he would give an assurance that the draft inrr of the regulations would be in the hands of the Justice Department, but objection would be raised if A. and P. societies were to be allowed to be a law unto themselves and every A. and P. society was going to be turned into a legislative body. Air. Stallworthy said it was possible that some society might issue a regulation prohibiting all persons convicted of negligent driving from going on to a showground. This might give rise to grave injustice because often people were convicted for offences which turned out to be very trivia! when the full circumstance s were known.

The Hon. C. E. AlacAlillan said i l was impossible to rely on the police to exercise .full control of all shows, because it was often the case that insufficient police could be made available. it would be impossible to frame one set of regulations that could-apply to alj A. and P. societies. He pointed out that all the regulations were, in accordance with the terms of the Bill, subject to approval by the Government. Air. Hargest (C) said that the Southland A. and P association ha.d asked him to oppose the Bill, because it considered the Police Department should have the sole right to issue licenses to showmenAir. AlacAlillan said that if Southland or any other association did not want to make use of the powers given by the Bill, it would not need 10 do so. . Air. J. A. Nash (C) said that the A. and P association which embraced all the societies in the North Island, ha<l been pressing for the Bill tor years. Air. Schramm (L) expressed the opinion that all applications for licenses should be made to a stipendiary magistrate. 3 Air. Stallworthy moved an amendment to provide that all the regulations should be advertised in newspapers m the districts concerned. This was defeated on the voices, and the Bill went through committee unamended.