LICENSING BILL PASSED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 1 December 1927, Page 5

LICENSING BILL PASSED

BY MAJORITY OF SEVEN

SEVERAL MINOR AMENDMENTS MADE

LONG SITTING OF THE HOUSE

(By Telegraph) (From “The Mail’s” Parliamentary Reporter). .

The House of Representatives went into Committee on the Licensing Bill to-day. . v ■ ■ On' the clause dealing with the Restoration poll, which would be taken af ter ; Prohibition was carried, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr H. E. Holland/ - said he could not convince himself that -the Bill would become law. Tt was due to the Prime Minister ’to say whether the Bill would be passed. In the speaker’s view the time of the House and public money was being/wasted in considering the measure any further. Ho would not stand in theway of the piogress of the measure, but hf his surmise was corre.ct they were simply fooling with the position. : /- A voice: “The House wiil say whe,'ther the Bill will become law.” > ; Mr Holland said it was perfectly fair to ask whether the Bill would be placed on the Statute Book. * : Mr W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne): “How !. can the Prime Minister give that assurance?” Mr Holland: “If the Prime Minister had ,as many uncertain supporters as the member for Gisborne he could not • gi’ve any assurances.” Mr H, M. Campbell (Hawkes Bay): “Did you-move to report progress?” Mr Holland: “Of course I did, because there is no intention to .go on with the /Bill,/ The Bill disfranchises thousands of electors, and while it does so I shall /j continue to oppose it.”' Mr Coates said Air Holland was in a very, curious mood. 1 Mr Holland: “An inquiring mood.” .. V Mr ; Coates said that so long as the Bill contained a bare majority lie .would not vote for, it,. and would vote against it on the’third reading If it , went to the Legislative Council and passed there the House- would have to consider it '. when it cfime back. . . ‘ Mr R. McKeen (Wellington South): .. “Ih other words .it -is not going to, be- • come law?” 'Mr Coates , asked the House to give the Bill fair consideration. A majority ; of, members wanted the Bill brought ~ back to where it was. Mr Lysnar: “It would have been bet- . ter to have left it there.” (Laughter).

- FATE OF THE (BILL

Mr Coates: “That is my opinion, too.;’ Sir Joseph Ward (Invercargill) asked whether in the- event of the Bill passing; through the Upper House with the ’bare majority issue iu it would Mr •Coates recommend the Governor-General ’ / to sign it ? - Air Coates replied that without wishing to be impertinent he would ask Sir ■ Joseph to wait and see. Mr .Coates moved an amendment providing for a continuity of polls on the . 1 restoration issue at every general election instead of only at the first after -. Prohibition was carried. In reply to questions, Mr Coates Said if Prohibition was carried, they wanted to give it a fair trihl. / A consequential amendment was moved "by the Prime Alinister and accepted to provide that restoration might be car- . Tied by a bai’e majority. Air Coates said he was /opposed to the amendment, but / moved it so that it might coincide-with . the amendment carried in favour of a bare majority on th'e Prohibition issue. '/' / ALL Coates also moved an amendment aim?a;at providing that in the event of restoflition being carried the number of licenses granted in a district should not be less than one for everv 1500 electors, provided that the number of licenses was applied for. / ;Mr V. H. Potter said that much as i lie objected to the proposal he was forc- ' ed to accept it, as it was a compromise. Air W. D. Lysnar saw no reason for the' alteration. ) Y Mr Potter: “It’s as clear as mud ; follow me and you’ll ibe all right.” . (Laughter). < -. .- • Afr Lysnar said it was a whittling away of their rights, to the Prohibition party. Air J.. Ale Combs; “Oh, what a shame. ” •'. (Laughter). - > ' Mr D. G. Sullivan: “Can you imagine any' constituency wanting more than 24 hotels?” Air H. Atmore (Nelson): “Speak for . yourseif.” (Laughter). Mr LysDar said he objected to the . proposal as it was an underhand way of doing things. ' Air Coates said that two eminent legal gentlemen bad been present when the clause was; drawn and they had been • watching things very closely. Air Lysnar: “But they have no interest in my-interest.” (Laughter). Air Coates said he was sure the clause as drafted would meet with the salis- * faction of all reasonably minded people. (Laughter). “1 am sure Mr Lysnar is a reasonable man,” added Mr Coates after a pause. “I am sure he will understand it afterjhe has read it.” The clause was agreed to. j ACCOMMODATION The Prime Minister moved to withdraw the clause dealing with the, minimum -accommodation to be provided in new licensed premises. Messrs T. W. Rhodes and G. W. Forbes protested against withdrawal of the clause. Air Forbes said that proper accommodation should be insisted upon. Prohibition would not be carried if good accommodation were provided. Mr Coates said that the clauses were excellent, but Parliament had inclined towards taking away security of tenure. •Members had to be fairminded and recognise that it was not right to make licensees, who were already harassed \ from pillar to post, incur great, expenditure in providing better accommodation if they were, to be given less security of tenure than they possessed now. Mr Atmore said that the Government was listening too much to the extremists on each side.. Mr Coates had been forced to do what he was doing at the point of a bayonet presented by the majority of th§ members of his own party. Reform voices: “You’re wrong.” . The public, Air Atmore considered, should be heeded and not the extremists. If the Prime Minister wanted prohibition to be carried lie was going the right way about it by not insisting on sanitary conditions in hotels. The. Government should not listen to extremists. Air Forbes said that the clause provided for twenty rooms, but lie would not object to the number being fixed at fifteen. Mr Atmore asked whether Air Coates would allow the clause to remain if it

REGISTER OF BARMAIDS

WELLINGTON, This Day. The Licensing Act Amendment Bill was passed by the House of Representatives, early this morning by 39 votes to 32. The House went into committee on the Bill yesterday and during the long debate which followed several minor amendments were inserted. The most important change provides for restoration to be carried by a bare majority in the event of Prohibition being carried. The extension of hours to allow liquor to be served at banquets was ejc- '< tended to include clubs. The Prime Minister, as he indicated during the debate, voted against the Bill. On the other hand five Cabinet Ministers were with the ayes in the third reading division. /

was amended on the lines suggested by Mr Forbes.

Air Coates said he appreciated what Air, Atmore had said, but he could not see! how capital could be attracted for investment in licensed premises if the tenure Was restricted. Ho wanted to be fair. ' ’ Air E, Pi Lee'said there Was ho need* clause related to new premises'only.' The licensing committees had power to deal with the matter now. ! All- Coates said he would like the clause to be struck-out, but would vo prepared to allow Clause 17, which dealt with’ the provision of adequate hot water services in bars, and which he. had intended. to delete, to remain in the Bilk v Mr' Atmore agreed that the House should be fair, but thought some fixed number of "rooms should be provided for so as to remove the reproach cast upon hotel accommodation, by-travellers. . Mr Coates said that lie would be prepared to. consider the accommodation question’ /with a view of having .an amendment inserted in the Legislative Council if Clause 16, as drafted, were withdrawn. _ Tile clause was withdrawn. Mr P. Fraser urged that in. reconsidering the accommodation question the Prime Alinister should give some atten-tion-to the provision for employees and all the talk up to the present had been about the guests.

POWERS OF LICENSING COAf- . ' MITTEES

Clause 17 and Clause 18, dealing with the powers of licensing committees to compel repairs to be made, were withdrawn, the understanding being that the subject matter of the clauses would be reconsidered by Air Coates.. . Mr Fraser asked if the Prime Minister would consider the position of youths employed in breweries and bottle stores. It had been represented to him by the Brewery Workers Union that the same law should apply to youths in breweries and battle stores as applied to youths employed on licensed premises. That was that no one under the age of 21 could be fTmbehalf of the Prime Minister the Minister of Justice (the Hon. F. J-. Rolleston) replied in the affirmative. A minor amendment was moved by the Prime Minister to the clause authorjsino- the police to extend to 10 p.m. the hours during which liquor may be sold or served on the occasion of a banquet or like function held or pi’omoted by any society or association.- ... . Mr Potter objected to the principle ol extending the hours for the sale or serving of liquor, and asked who was seeking the change. The clause should be withdrawn. , Mr T. M. Wilford said he hoped the clause would cover clubs. Air Coates said it did not cover chartered clubs and an entirely new clause would he renuired to do that. It might be said that* the provision in the clause could be run to death by a number of youths forming an assocation for the purpose .of holding night parties, but lie thought they would have difficulty in getting a permit from the policr. Mr W. A. Veitch expressed the opinion that chartered clubs had a far greater claim for extension than the bodies provided for. in the clause. Mr T. At. Wilford. suggested an :amendment to the clause extending the facilities to clubs which had a dining 10 Mr W. D. Lysnar agreed and urged that'if should also apply to restaurants.. The Prime Alinister said he could'not agree to making the, hour later than 10 p.m., but he was prepared to accept Mr Wilford’s amendments provided there was a dining room on the premises. He would inquire into the question about restaurants. „,/.///

Mr Wilford’s amendments were inserted. ’ / The Leader ■of the Opposition and others entered an emphatic protest against the proposal to transfer the register of barmaids from the Secretary of the Labour Department to the Commissioner of Police. ■Mr Coates said the- Labour Department was anxious to be relieved of the responsibility, and the police werei well able to deal with the matter. If certain stories were true there was a possibility of trafficking in the licenses. He had noticed tha t- barmaids were still in hotels although it was some years since legislation which prevented new licenses being issued was passed. The Minister of Labour (the Hon. G. J. Anderson) said that- at present the police acted for the Labour Department. It was quite impossible for the Labour Department to identify the ladies concerned, and it- was natural that the Department- should depend on the police. The amendment would simply mean that the work would he carried out by one department instead of two. After further objections Mr Coates said he was not going to waste a lot of time over the clause, and was prepared to delete it. The clause was deleted accordingly. An amendment was made to .-meet an objection raised in regard to advertising in the King Couhtrv. A new clause providing for the taking of a poll for local restoration in the event- of national prohibition being carried was agreed to.