Legal and Parliamentary Dept.

White Ribbon, Volume 29, Issue 4, 1 September 1957, Page 7

Legal and Parliamentary Dept.

Please read this at Union Meetings

Re food supplies and manpower used in the manufacture of liquor. W. R. Leonard, Director of Statistics Office of United Nations Organisation, writes that they do not collect statistics on this particular matter. koad Safety. Both the Minister of Transport and the Road Safety Council were written to concerning the large beer advertisements which advise people to drink beer on all occasions, and their use of Road Safety Slogans. The Road Safety Council says that these advertisements will not refer in future to the Road Safety Council, but will continue to quote from the Road Code. The Hon. Mr Goosman, Minuter of Transport, says that he can do nothing with regard to the actual advertisement. Note: It is extraordinary that the Transport Department has advertised asking motorists not to drink before driving, and yet the Minister says he can do nothing about an advertisement telling people to drink beer on all occasion*.

Hotel Workers. I was concerned when, through a friend, I visited the living conditions of kitchen staff of a large licensed hotel, and also to hear of the difficulty of the staff in obtaining uniforms or uniform allowance. A letter to the appropriate Union secretary brought the reply that (1) Officials from the Health Department, with some of the Police Department, visit each licensed hotel regularly, and inspect the kitchen and living quarters and all departments of the hotel; (2) Proprietors of licensed hotels must provide kitchen staff with uniforms or with uniform allowance. Note: I find it difficult to believe that these officials passed the accommodation which I saw, and it seems that the regulation re uniforms can be evaded. Some folk without homes take up this work to get a roof over their heads, and are frightened to comnlain owing to the difficulty of fading other accommodation. MeutcJ Health Act. In some places W.C.T.U. members make visitation of mental hospital patients part of their work. Legislation before the House will make committal easier. There has been considerable discussion recently about the need for stronger safeguards in the procedure for committal to mental hospitals. The proposed amendments appear to relax these safeguards rather than to strengthen them. The Public Trustee is to be given more power over estates. He will be able to use up to £5Ol for any one person without the Court’s approval. For the purpose of improving patients’ properties this could have its advantages. Tranquillising drugs. We are glad to see proposals to restrain the sale of tranquillising drugs by chemists, who have stated that they welcome this suggested legislation. The Annual Police Report refers to the difficulty of the police in enforcing licensing legislation. We congratulate the police on recent vigorous action in spite of loopholes found by defending counsel in the law. The report said that it would be idle to suppose that the bookmaker is disappearing. There were 75 convictions in 1956. The police work under difficulties. Both Inland Revenue and Post and Telegraph Departments have information which could lead to many more convictions, but the police are denied the use of this information.

For the first time in New Zealand the Urine Teal was submitted recently, in a case in Auckland, as the final proof of intoxication. In spite of the reluctance of doctors, it seems that tests of some kind will have to come eventually, and this particular test need not involve extra work for the medical profession. Special note: All Unions must Ret busy to ascertain their Parliamentary candidates’ opinions on evening hours of sale, restaurant drinking, grocery sales of liquor, barmaids and gambling facilities When you write, keep a copy of your letter with date. I know only too well that many candidates, in spite of it being most discourteous, ignore letters on these questions. If no reply is received within a reasonable time, write again or telephone, quoting date of previous letter, and say that your Union is most anxious for a reply as soon as possible. If no reply at all is forthcoming, assume that “he who i? not with us, is against us” L. K. V. GRIGG, (Director, Legal and Parliamentary Department).