Legal and Parliamentary Dept.

White Ribbon, Volume 31, Issue 4, 1 August 1959, Page 6

Legal and Parliamentary Dept.

(Please read at Un ; on Meetings)

Replies have been received from the Hon H. G. R. Mr.ion, Minister of Justice on i\vo matters:

1. Re Reinstatement of Anti-shouting Legislation: The views of your organisai >u have beta noted and while I do not think :.<at public opinion nri the re-introduction of anti-shouting Nation the Question will be considered when the Lkeming Act reviewed

2. Re Removal of State Control Issue from the Ballot Paper: The views of your organisation on tins mattei will be given consideration by the Government I think then lething to be Mud for dropping the issue of State Control from the Referendum but the matter is one which can more properly be considered m conjunction with a general review ol licensing laws than in isolation

Re Local Option. Our remit tC X C W on Local Option was supported by that body, but an unurable reply was received from the Minister of Justice, who stated that there had beei an agreement between the two parties to drop ocal option in favour of a National Toll I have replied that this by one man has been refuted by luch dependable people as Sir Francis Bell, the iate Mr Justice Adams, Rev John D.w 1 Mr \ R ttkmson and I have supplied the Mn ister with a lot of detail on this matter It was tie Liquor Trade that demanded the third issue >f State Control, which Alliance Representation siroiiL'ly opp -

License to Dunedin Milk Bar. We were gild \>< that the Licensing Control Commissi, q canceled the Licen 1 by a Licensing Committee in I)uncdin

Wet Canteens in Drill Halls. North Canterbury District forwarded a pn-test and l have written an objection to the Minister of Defc

British Street Offences Bill. We have been interested m the protest made by the BWT.VC on the matter in England Their Union considers that, by confining the offence to the common prostitute, the Government ignores the responsibility of both sexes for the condition of the streets and for the business of prostitution It is aUo thought that the Hill gives dangerous power to the police, in that they ma> .urest women without irrant Innocent women might be summoned mistakenly Objection U also made to the ten i. en.union prostitute.

Publication of Court Proceedings. We ha\ thought it all to the good for young folk, who are children of involved marriages, that unsavoun details of divor hould nol be publis Mr Justice Turner, in a recent address given in Auckland, has pointed out lisadvantage this new measure It is made easi< r for litigants to lie under oath without so moth fe*r ot detection and without newspaper publ city to check their veracity. The Cou. >s are anxiously watching the working out of this recent Divorce Proceeding Amendment Act

Important. It is highly probable that attempts will be made to legalise restaurant drinking and liquor in dance halls. Members are asked to watch carefully for any word to this effect and to protest to their local M Ps at the first sign of any such step

Recommendation. A recently published book recommended for study. It is "Alcohol and the Chri hie", by Dr T. G. Dunning, the wellknown British Baptist, who has been General v of the Temperance branch of the Council of Christian Churches

Kentish Ale. A number of request t f information about this drink rave been recewed Its sale is (juitc legal without a licence I similar strength to ginger beer and hop beer. Ginger ale is, ot course, a soft drink The terms proof spirit and alcohol are not synonymous Halve the amount • spirit and you get the approximate amount ticohol Some scientists would like the term lnt eliminated, as it is often misleading —L K. V. Grigg, Director, Legal and Parliamentary Dept