BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1949 THE REFERENDA
Those who voted , on Wednesday have shown by overwhelming majorities that they did not want an extension of hotel drinking hours, and that a legal system of off-course betting would be welcomed. No doubt all sorts of inferences will be drawn from the relatively light polling, but a logical supposition seems to be that to many New Zealanders these two questions were not of vital importance. Those who do think they matter have given their verdict in a conclusive manner. • . However, .it is to be hoped the rejection of the suggested extension of drinking hours will not be taken by the Government as a vote of complete satisfaction with the status quo. It .is still fairly safe to assert that a majority of citizens are not altogether satisfied with existing liquor laws. Most will want to see a saner, more dignified system of enjoying the age-old custom of forgathering with their friends, though few indeed want to see anything that will tend to increase immoderate drinking. So far as the betting question is concerned, there can be little Cause for dissatisfaction with the decision arrived at. We had substantial off-course betting, and always would have had, so the obviously sensible course was to legalise it so that it could be more easily controlled if necessary. At least now there can be v little excuse for law-breaking in this regard, and looks as though the people who will suffer most will be the bookmakers; for there is nothing to suggest at this stage that they will be permitted to carry on their trade legally. Few tears will be shed on their behalf. They have had a. good innings (not without occasional disturbances from the law, it is true) but it cannot be claimed by even the most tolerant amongst us that their illegal trading has been of much real benefit to society as a whole.
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Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 63, 11 March 1949, Page 4
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329BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 1949 THE REFERENDA Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 63, 11 March 1949, Page 4
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