LICENSING BILL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15320, 16 September 1920, Page 5

LICENSING BILL.

WELLINGTON, this day, An amendment of the Licensing Afct ,o carry out thb intention of Parliament ill strictly limiting the distance vithin which licenses niay be transfer•ed, bainb Up 1 for cbmmittee considera** .jdil iii the House late last night. The Premier had previously announced that lie GoVernment would not allow the ivhole licensing policy to be re-opened} >ub Messrs Lysnar (Gisborne) and McGalum ( Wairau) both gave notice of expensive policy amendments. - Mr. Lyslar deplored the Government's -weak--cuee.d attitude iii avoiding tfeforhis-. tie .yds 'iiop going to be mealy hlouthed ibout this outside the fioilse-. Labor members laughingly suggested ,hat this was dirett« dctiori, jjiit Mr. [ivsnar balled it SqiiaVe isilk-. Mi;. Massey repjigd that it liad been| 'pilnd tliat ihrbugft dn error m the law ih% risal intention of Parliament was Frustrated m regard to lapsed licenses, He could not agree -to accept anything [urther this session, but if Mr. Lysnar tvks allowed to move his amendments it ivould" open- up the ivhole question, and /here was no time to deal with it, bejause . Parliament was already behind vith its work..'. Mr. Lysnar: Hold it back till next session. Mr. Massey : We shall be no better )ff is w. are already preparing our programme. The Premier "Went ort to say .that* the JufestiOn was not a party matter, and ie wished to hiake it clear that the 3assing of '.ahy adverse "motion or ainehdnent would mean that the Government vould drop the Bill. Mr, Lysnar: The House has' a right ;o go on with it. - • " Mr. Massey: Th<?y can try it. They cannot go far without Government backng, and you will find that out before ong. . Mr. Lysnar : Tlie difficulties are not nsuperable.; Tve looked at the standingirders. (Laughter.) ' Mr. Massey : If I put St at the bottom >f the order paper to-morrow you could iot get it to the top till the day of udgment. There's nothing m the sjtandng orders fcohtrdry to that. jLaUght'eK) I have come to the conclusion, (declaf>d the Premier) that the licensing law . vants reforming from top to bottom. Hear, hear;) We want to go m for a lig scheme of reform, but not this side if the licensing poll. He went on. to' Mint out that Parliament, might require, i big eX-tefisidii of hotel accommodation, »ut it tfoiil'd be unfair to make it just • before an election*. Just imagine, said; Mr. Mafcsey, ail hotel m Wellington with only accommodation foi- six persons other than the licensee's family. -'■' Mr. McCallum : And a £40 fee. ' "Mr. Massey : That's another point. There are lots' of others. It is absurd . that hotels like stone great establish**' ments iii Wellington, doing immense, business, should pet their -license for ex-; actlv the same fee as Charged a little, roadside' hotel m the Country. It is : positively 'absurd. It ought not to be fillowed 'any 'lohger than Vre can help, but we .annot do it this' session, because; it means going tjii'bugh the ■ licensing: , law from b,4^inWtt§ to* "end. I doh?^ think we can .do it next .session either,; because ' it! wbuid involve heavy ' expenditure by 'licensees just before the poll. ». '' ' Mr. v Mcoallum : ' Mak_ it subject to next poll. • \ ( Mir. Massfey: Is that worth 'doing? Iy am prepared to set up a Parliamentary. , committee next session to inquire into.. existing ano'maiies and make recommeft- : dations, but I won't promise that it. will be put into law next session. • ; The House had' a direct indication' ;fr6m the Premier that the tSovernment-' ! \vbuld not'ptermit" am'enqmehts enlarging the limited -Cope f of the measure. • Mr. Lvsnar, as an indication, that ] aiftendinentjs should be accepted, moved to report progress, but desisted when : it was obvious that progress would not '. be reported. He challenged clause two. which strictly limits the transfer of license^ within electoral districts, icle- .! clavii.tr thitrGisbsrrio>'nivist : have this, right, because —it wanted to •JiioVe- one, hotel straightaway. , ''Where is Gisborne?'*' asked ah {unsympathetic member, who pitoce'edtfd 'to- join the 59 members Who voted for the claus-, Mr. Lysnar only seeurihtrtwo Bl_ppoi'ib6\ , s.•: Messrs McCallum arid Roed;' '•■'• The femaiiiinijy clauses wcjre *hen ■ passed.. v ' yX -.-'".' '. '' '■ A number ofy amendments moved,, by ■] "Messrs. Lysna.r," McCfolliirii arid Field were rejeqted on, the voices. -.-,-■ ' Tlie Bill was then, read, a.. third time ' and passed.— Parliam'fehtat'v "Heporfier: .' !