LIQUOR AT BELLAMY'S

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3439, 5 March 1932, Page 7

LIQUOR AT BELLAMY'S

WHAT THE ACT REQUIRES. The Statutes provide for a poll of members of the Legislature to be taken at the commencement of a new Parliament on the question of the continuance of the sale of liquor- at Bellamy's. Owing to an omission in the Legislature Act, however, to provide for the circumstance of a briei session after a general election, there have been occasions in recent years when the required poll has not been taken.

The Statute requires that in the first session of each new Parliament, on the fourth Tuesday after the conclusion of the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives, a poll shall be conducted at which members shall vote on the question "Shall liquor be sold within the precincts of the Parliament Buildings during the remainder of the present Parliament?" The taking of the poll plainly depends on the length of the session. The last Parliament was opened with a session of ten days in December, 1928, and as a sufficient time did not elapse after conclusion of the Address-in-Reply debate to enable the Act to be complied with the poll was not taken. The last poll was taken in July, 1926, when the dispensing of liqour was approved by 84 votes to 29. There was no poll in 1923, for the same reason as in 1928. In 1920 the liquor was favoured by 74 votes to 41. The referendum for the present Parliament will similarly depend on how long this session lasts.