NEW LICENSING BILL

Chronicle (Levin), 6 May 1948, Page 5

NEW LICENSING BILL

Press Association )

National Poll On Evening Oponing

(Per

, ■ WELLINGTON, May 5. Redistribution of redundant hotei 1 licences, a- national poll on proposed evening hours for' hotels, and alterations of the .haUot paper for the triennial liqupr referendum are among 'the proyisions repprted to he under consideration for inclusion m the Licensing . Bill which the Government has announced will "Be placed hefore Parliament tliis year. The Licensing Bill ayis.es out of tiie report- to Parliament of the Royai Commission on Licensing in August, 1946, . * A Government caiyeus committee has been appointed to diseuss a draft oy the Bill, and already cohsidefation lias been given to some of the major points. Although .the proposals are yret only at their preliminary stage, prohibition, trade and church interests closely concerned consider that the following are some of the ehief of the issues raised in the commission 's majority report, jrith which any legislation is expected to deal: (1) A national poll on the commission 's majority proposal that hotels should be open during evening hours. The hours reeommended by the commission were: Monday to Fridays, ld a.m. to 2 p.m. j 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays,_ noon to 6 p.m. The commission proposed that the evening hours should be observed only for the consumption of liquor on tae premises, not for the sale' of liquor to be taken away. (2) Provision#- in tiie triennial national liquor poll for a different form of voting paper. Instead of the paper as the past with three issues, Contmuance, Btate Control, and Prohibition. there would be a vote on two issues, Continuance and Prohibition, witn provision for the eleetors to have a second vote to sav whether; in the event of Continuance being carried, they prefer eorporate control. This system of voting it is considered would enhance the p'olling prospects of the eorporate control issue, which, put m 'the form of Htate Control, has been 'reject'ed in the past. The commission reeommended that eorporate c-ontrol should include tiie taking over of the breweries as weri as the hotels, but it is believed to be unlikely that the manuf^cture of liquor would be ineluded in the proposal for eorporate control to be placed before the eleetors. Htate ownership oi breweries is one of the questions on which there is sharpest difference of opinion. Oue of the largest churches is now. seeking within its membership an expression of views.on this. point. (3) Establishmen,t of a bbard to admiuister the redistribtftion of licencesconsidered redundant, this work to De carried out over a -fixed number oi years, existing licensees to he compensated where their licences are taken over. licences issued uuder redistribution. (4) Strengthening of the powers or (5) Provision. fay., "i lO.Cal trust, poils local licensing committees. where restoration is carried or new It is generallv agreed among interests directly concerned in the future of the liquor trade" that the full proposals of the Roval Commission for tiie government of the liquor, trade would prove too unwieldy to operate. The redistribution of licences, mooted for so many vears, is considered niost likely to be approved. The Royai Commission in its majority repol't said that, on the West Coast of the Boutii Island, for instance, there were undoubtedly redundant licences. A summary of hotel statistics hand■ed in l>y the Commissioner of Police and recorded by the commission showed that hotel licences are at present held in the various districts as follows: — Greymouth 144, Christchurch 129, Auckland 116, Dunedin 100, Wellington 77, Nelson 70, Invercargill 6-i, Napier 64, Palmerston North 61, Hamilton 57, Timaru 56, New Plymouth 56, Gisborne 39, Whangarei 38, Wanganui 35. Redistribution of licences was among the many reforms in the liquor trade proposed in a Bill sponsored in Parliament by a former Prime iMinister, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, in 192u, 1927, and 1928. It was defeated in the House of Representatives bv 34 votes to 33.