GOVERNMENT POLICY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 3, 5 January 1944, Page 2

GOVERNMENT POLICY

SOUGHT IN INVERCARGILL LICENCES (P.A.) Invercargill, Jan. 2. I Problems arising from the restoration of hotel licences in Invercargill, with special reference to the question of municipal control, were discussed al. length by a deputation from the City Council to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Mason, on Friday. The deputation tried to get from Mr. Mason an indication of his own views on municipal control and an inkling of the Government’s policy in relation to the restoration of licences. Mr. Mason, however, refused to be drawn. He said he had not come to Invercargill to lay down the law or to air his own views, but to hear the council’s views, so that he might present them to Cabinet. The deputation asked for an assurance that the Government would not allow licences to be automatically restored under the existing licensing laws before it had considered problems raised by the restoration of licences. To this Mr. Mason replied that he thought Cabinet would have to consider, the position, if only because of the problem of building and furnishing the required hotels al: present. The deputation made it clear that, while a majority of the council had voted against municipal control, the council thought the question should be referred to a referendum of the ratepayers because a motion favouring municipal control was carried at a public meeting in the city and because of the widespread feeling that restoration of licences gave an opportunity for introducing reform in the conduct and control of hotels. In reply to a question, Mr. Mason said that a commission would be set up to consider the licensing laws as they applied to the whole of New Zealand. The commission would be appointed as quickly as possible. The Minister later said he would like to know what advantage it was thought would come from municipal control. Mr. J. Pickard, a member of the City Council, said one advantage would be that the profit from the hotels would be used in the alleviation of rates. The hotels would be run on up-to-date lines, with proper control of the liquor traffic. Mr. Mason said he thought the problem of building hotels apart from any other question, made some attention to the matter being given by Cabinet inescapable.