LICENSING BILL

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 9 November 1927, Page 5

LICENSING BILL

INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE. TWO-ISSUE BALLOT PAPER. FREQUENCY OF POLLS. (by telegraph—press association.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 8.

By Governor-General’s message, the Licensing Amendment Bill was brought down in the House of Representatives to-day.

In reply to Mr M. J. Savage, the Prime Minister said he proposed at a later stage 10 make a short statement about the Bill, but in the meantime he would shortly describe the. measure, which contained many of the amendments proposed in last year’s Bill. Provision was made for altering the frequency of polls, and the House should decide whether polls should be held every three or every six years.

In the event of the renewal of lienses, the licensing committees were to have greater discretionary powers in adjusting licenses according to the accommodation requirements of the districts.. 'The ballot paper would be a two-issue one, cutting out the issue of State Control, the majority would be

Mr J. McCombs said the Bill had come down very late, and he hoped if it was amended to suit the majority of members it would not be conveniently dropped. The New Zealand Alliance was not asking for anything by way of favour. What it wanted was one man one vote, viz., equality of voting. It only wanted justice. The trade wanted retention of the existing law with its existing handicap, which meant 40,000 votes to them. The State Control vote counted as Continuance, which it was not necessarily. The voting should be as in Queensland, which proved that the State Control vote was not necessarily a vote for Continuance. In New Zealand there was a handicap of 39,200 votes, and by this Bill the Government was going to increase the handicap by 67,500 votes. Who had asked for this? No one; and those who had been asking for justice would be highly indignant. To give a two-issue ballot paper, and then to increase the handicap by 28,300, was treating public opinion with contempt. All ho asked for was that the Government should give members a fair opportunity to vote on this .question, and that, the people should be given a. free and unfettered opportunity to vote. The House had no right to settle the final issue of the liquor question and it had no right to devise handicaps which would favour the liquor trade.

Mr T. M. Wilford said he must- protest against his right to votertor State Control being taken away from him. He was one of the 56,000 who voted for State Control, and if lie had no chance to vote that way he would vote for Continuance. There had been no manlate from the people to take his right away from him, and if the forms of the House permitted him to do so he would endeavour to have State Control restored to the ballot paper.

Sir A. Ngata asked the Government to consider the advisability of permit-i-ing 20,000 Maori electors to vote on the issue whether there was or was not to be prohibition in the Dominion. If the Maoris were entitled to send members to Parliament they should be capable >f giving a vote on this issue of liquor ir no liquor. Mr W. J. Jordan said it would come Vi a surprise to find the two-issue ballot" paper loaded against one side. The Bill was useless as it was, and should be dropped right away. Mr G. W. Forbes said he would ..Ke -he Prime Minister to say whether the Bill had been adopted by the Reform Party caucus last year. He introduced he measure, which, he said, was “nobody’s child.” Was the Bill of the iam'e character? Was it a serious attempt to solve the problem, or was t just a kite being flown? If so, the sooner the House knew what the position was the better. He stressed the need for better hotel accommodation throughout the Dominion, but it was ur.possible to do this on the three years’ tenure. Messrs R. W. ‘Smith (Waimarino) and T. C. Roleston (Waitomo) put in a plea ’or the right of the people in the King Country to decide whether they should have licenses in that locality. Mr IT. Atmore maintained that those vho favoured State Control should have he riglit to vote by that issue. In any >aso he did not anticipate the Governnent was serious about the Bill, which was not intended to pass. The Prime Minister said the Bill contained his own ideas on the question. PRIME MINISTER ’>S STATEMENT. “This Bill,” said Mr Coates, “represents' the fulfilment of the undertaking given by me to the House, as well as to many delegations which have waited upon me from time to time, that an importunity would be given in this Par.iament for consideration of the licensing question. As is well known, the juestion is one which has always been treated as a matter outside ordinary nuty politics. That is to say, members )f Parliament have always had a free land in recording their opinions and lonvicti’ons in regard to any licensing egislation which may come before the House. There is no intention wliat>ver of departing from this custom in die present instance, and, as far as numbers are concerned, they are quite infettered by any party ties. “The Bill’ therefore, is in no sense i Government measure. The proposals ire the outcome of my own eonsideriticn of the question, and I submit Tem in the hope that they contain .’eatures calculated to give a lead upon he questions which occupy the forenost place in the minds of those who study our social and economic life. *‘ I would like to refer to my own ocrsonal position in regard to certain views expressed by me at the last genual election. I then stated that I was in favour of the three-issue ballot upper. The Bill now before the House Hiininates the third issue; that is* fhe Brato Control issue. 'Careful eonsiderTtion and examination of the figures recorded for what is known as tne third issue have led me to the conclusion that irs existence can hardly be justified. At the same time, to ensure that a drastic change such as the carrying of National Prohibition would involve, should have a stable majority in its favour, the Bill provides for not less than 55 per cent, of tne total votes recorded at the licensing poll as being necessary to carry National Prohibition. It" is also advisable that if proh.bitiou is carried it should not be reversed, exceed by a stable major tv. “The elimination of the third issue or the ballot paper, the institution of a 55 per cent, majority, and tne substitution of licensing polls at every alternate general election in place of the present triennial polls are among the chief features of the provisions of the Bill. The Bill was submitted to

the House last year, but I cannot say that its reception generally was encouraging. On the contrary, its proposals seemed to be unwanted and the present proposals are submitted in the belief that they are worthy of very careful consideration by Parliament.” The Bill was read a first time.

PRIME MINISTER 13 SERIOUS

HOUSE GAN SIT TILL CHRISTMAS

(BY TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL TO "THE STAR.”) WELLINGTON, Nov. 8. There was a, considerable amount of questioning and some discussion when cbe Licensing Bill was introduced, and, when this had 'concluded, the Prime Minister made his prepared statement, to which he added a. few answers to what he termed perfectly friendly questions. The answer,to the suggestion that the Bill was not intended seriously was that members could stay till Christmas or New Year, providing they could get the question, threshed out. The Bill had not been before the caucus, nor had he consulted his colleagues. It was, lie emphasised, a non-party matter. No doubt members would wish toi test the issue of the license vote for the King Country. There was said to be an agreement with the Maoris, though he could find nothing confirming in the evidence. Mr. W. jy. Lysnar: “It is all a myth.’’ The Prime Minister: “It is not- so easily disposed of as that. My con•ern is not to interfere with what might have been, I do not say it was so, a contract between the Maoris and the Europeans,” He proposed to consider Sir Apirana Ngata’s suggestion that Maori electors vote on the national licensing poll.

1M POR TA NT B ETA ILS. LICENSING COMMITTEES’ WIDER SCOPE, MACHINERY CLAUSES TO INAUGURATE PROHIBITION. 'BY TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL TO "THE STAR.”) WELLINGTON, Nov. 9. Many important points of detail were necessarily omitted from the ° ime Minister’si survey, which covered the main policy. The next national licensing poll will take place at the next General. Election and if no-license were carried, it would operate on June 30, 1929. No further licensing election takes place for six years. ' ' '

The Bill makes more complete provision than previously for petitions for recount and scrutiny and it is directed that the licensing ballots must be on •.•ohm red paper. If, after experiencing no-license, the Dominion reverts to restoration, the Bill provides machinery for the purpose, and erapowerc the licensing committees to grant licenses not exceeding one for every 500 electors of a district and not les# (if sufficient applications ape made) than one license ’for every complete 1,000 electors of the district, preference to \ be given to owners of premises which were licensed prior to the operation of prohibition. ELECTORAL BOUNDARY CHANGES. The readjustment. of. electoral boundaries may cause licensed premises to be included in a no-license area, but one further readjustment, the closed premises, may again come within the license area.

The Bill provides, under such circumstances, at the first licensing poll that there shall be submitted for the determination of the electors .a proposal that the licensing committee bt empowered to issue a new license to that extent, increasing the number of licenses in the area, The ballot paper will contain a proposal that the licensing committee be empowered to grant a license for premises which shall, be described, and the voter will have an opportunity of voting either for or against, a bare majority deciding. This section also applies to former 'icensed premises that have at any time been included in a no-license area. But to secure a poll there must be a demand by ten per cent, of the electors of the district made prior to June 30 in the year in which the licensing election is usually held. ONE PUBLIC BAR. Every publican’s license, according to the Rift, shall authorise the use of ane public bar and in the discretion of the committee a specified number of private bars, a fee of £lO being paid tor each private bar, this amount going to the public revenue. Any person who opens, or uses for the sale of liquor any bars other than those specified in the license will be deemed guilty of selling liquor without a license.

The licensing committees -are given wider power over the improvement of Bote! properties. Any new license .shall not be granted in a borough with a population over 10,000 unless the premises contain for public accommodation at least twenty rooms additional to those required for the .licensee and staff. Hot water services may be insisted upon and the committee, in granting or renewing a license, may impose conditions requiring additions, alterations and improvements in furnishing. The Bill authorises the sale of liquor in hotels on the occasion of public functions .till 10' p.m., though the permit may not be renewed in respect of the same organisation within six months.

Newspapers are to be relieved of the restriction against circulating in a nolicense district- with advertisements relating to the sale of liquor, if they are not published with intent to procure orders for liquor in a no-license district.