POSTMORTEM ON LIQUOR LAWS OF N.S.W.

Chronicle (Levin), 18 February 1947, Page 7

POSTMORTEM ON LIQUOR LAWS OF N.S.W.

Eeceiv t:d 'luesuay, i2.2j a.ni. yijJxsEf, leb. 17. First -results of Saturday's emphatic coiinnnaLion of six o'eloek ciosiag o. uoteis 111 i\ew youth Wales, are a de manu 6y tne Teniperance Ailiance fo« tlie strict enforcenient of tlie law on Jiotel aceomuiodation and ciub liquoi oars, and a renewed agiiation for iucat uption iiy wliicli voters 111 the fortheom ing ytaie general election would decide w hetiier pieir oieetorates sliouid be wet or dry. xvn outslanding feature of the refer endum voting i\as tiiat the coalfieido were heaviiy in ravour of eariy ciosing. Taradoxicaliy, despite the xaet thai. women overwnelmingty favoured six u clocR cludiiig, \\ ooiahra eiectorate, wlucn was one ut the hve eieccorateo ueciaruig for leii o'ciock, has the greai est preponderame ot women eleciurs in ihe btate. Tne women outnumuer men by tliree to two, but 16 o 'clocli was car neu in Uie eieclorate by 888 votes. Loumingis conLiuuing today witli !b0, UUd- eieelors sliii to ue cheoKed, but muny of these did not vot'e. ''The people wiio voted for six u'fioek eiusing to punisn tne publieau and bretver will not iind tliose teudei sunis weeping lat tears today," coin nieuts the ielegraph. ' ' \ ery soon the \oter will wake up to iind \ihat he has voted for — the contiuuing baroarism or pigswill and the prosperity of the bad as weii as the good pu'oiican wliom the law reijuires to give a nuiuinum of eivility aiiu uecent public service. " ' • Saturday 's overvvhelniing vote in favour of tite retention of six o'clocx i-iosing of hotei bars doubtiess reneets puidie disgust at ttie preseut driniving vonditions and the lear that iongei iradiug liours are not the reniedy toi them, but u ill simply extend the abuses whicli have eome, espeeially siiiee the war, to l»e assoeiated witli the liquoi trade," stiys the iierald. "Had it beeu preeeded by drastic retornis in the con trol and distribution of liquor, the iater vlosing hour migiit itave been looked on with more qavonz'. Xot only were rer'orms lackiug, but the Goverunient 's lialf -hearted approach to amending the liquor aet, aiso seemed to hold out littie j hope that oilicial action to remedy even tiie most glariug abuses woutd be forth coming. "