THE LICENSING LAW

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 303, 16 September 1920, Page 6

THE LICENSING LAW

CLOSING A LOOPHOLE

NO GENERAL LEGISLATION" THIS YEAR

l .'"• .<< The House last night committed the \ : 'Amendment Bill, which was |. >-introduced by the Government chiefly to f':. ; . step .the practice of causing a license to I, .'lapse'so that it might he removed be- ■ "'yond the distance limit prescribed by }.. y section 127 of the Licensing Act/ It had i .. - t been made quite clear'upon the' first api '.. pearance of the measure that the Govi; . ernment Was not-prepared to have the <~"'.'•■ whole liquor question opened up and ■"the licensing law in general amended by '••means of additions to tho Bill. In the /Legislative Council, where the Bill or--1 iginated, Sir Francis Bell stated that the Bill was intended only to remedy defects, in the licensing law that were , due to inadvertence. ■•''-•-■ Mr. Massey's Attitude. .s'-Mr; Massey re-stated last night the -. position of the Government in regard to the Bill. He said that the Bill had V . been brought down to remedy two ob- '"'■ vious defects in the present licensing law. The; Government did not intend to go beyond, the two clauses, and if. Parliament wished to kill the measure he hoped •that it would signify without delay its ...intention of doing so. The Government ; .would,then drop, the Bill. Mr.; Lysnar suggested that if the Government dropped the Bill, "someone else _ might pick it up." - 'v Mr.. Massey rejoined that the member "for Gisborne would know better when h> had been longer in the House. If Government chose to put the Bill v.at-the bottom of the Order Paper next "day, the member would not get it up between then and Doomsday. He < appealed again to the House hot to waste time; -A lot of time had been lo»fc already, and he-hoped that no more would be lost.' If members could point outto •him any obvious defects in the existing defects in the. policy of the "/Government on the liquor he ""would be prepared to take up the matters brought to his notice. Some of tho i '"proposals made by the member for Gis- ; .pflrne . ircre ' n * ue T direction, he •would• admit, as were also some of the pioposals mad© by the member for Wai< :' rau (Mr. M'Cnllum). There must be Vawther. Licensing Bill "of sorts" before ' " Parliament went to the country again, ' but the Government did not want to make that Bill a big policy matter. Mr. Witty: Why not leave this Bill till then? . Mr. Massey: "Because these defects I ! * ought to be remedied now." There was reason to believe, Mr. Massey added, j that there was a move to increase the ' number of wholesale licenses in despite ■■' '. of the spirit of. the-Aet, and he thought '. i" it:-was wrong that advantage should be . taken of a mere defect in the law. . :?Mf. M'Callum saitt that if the Prime ..-Minister would postpone the Bill till •; i.'next session, an influential body of would wait upon him with, a request that he should' then set a ', Parliamentary committee to go fully iln- ■'■ s'Ao. ; tbe liquor question. !■'. - The Prime Minister, replying to Mr. : -./-.M'Callum, said he agreed that the ■~ " liquor trade, or tho licensing law, ra- | t quired reforming from begitaning to end. ■ ' that could-not be done until after j. ■ the next poll. He agreed it was. abI. ».<" surd "that an hotel in tho city of Wcl- ' lington: should be required to provide j only"six rooms for the public, and that • ..the'.same license fee should be paid by k a city, hotel as by a roadsilde' house in I- • -, a country district. These absurdities ; ought'to be removed. But the reforms could not be made in the present ses- [' ""sionand be did not think they should I be attempted next session. He would be prepared to set up a committee next -.J; session to go into* the whole question, ; '. and if some matters 6eemed fo/rrtjuire • - immediate legislation he would consider '•■ '!■■: them/'' But he would not promise licens- ": .ing legislation next session. -.■• ." Mr. L. M. Isitt (Cliiristchurch North) assured the House that the Prohibition ' Party had "played the-game" in regard !■'" to the Bill, and had refrained from making any attempt to take advantage of an ; \ • amending Bill made necessary by a mis- ■ take in earlier legislation. The Minister of Justice (Hon. E. P. Lee) said the spirit of thfe law had been i clear. But certain people had_ discovI ered a loophole that made possible the 1 ■ transfer of licenses beyond the intended -'■ statutory' limit. The Bill was intended .merely to cfee that loophole. Somo . licensing committees had lent themselves ■■■to evasion of the true intention of the ■ ' Mr. J. M'Combs (Lyttelton) said that . ; t.he licensing law made -provision for additional licenses in a district in which i the population had increased rapidly. The Bill was intended to prevent tlm forcing of licenses' on distriots that did not-wish to have them. After some further discussion, Mr. Lysnar divided the House on the second clause of the Bill. The clause wna retained by 59 votes to 3. New Clauses Rejected. Mr. Lysnar had four new clauses Two were ruled out of order as jnvolviniz ( appropriation, and two wero. rejected on the voices. Mr. M'Callum hwLgiven notice of some "'■ thirty new clauses. He moved them as ~ one, and they wero rejected on the 'voices. • The Bill was read a third time and \ passed after Mr. Massey had promised that the licensing question would be referred to a committee for inciuirv next session, and that members would be given an opportunity then of making , any amendments urgently required. , DIVORCE AMENDMENT BILL The Hon. J. MacGregor's Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Amendment Bill, was yesterday read a second tune pro forma and referred to the Statutes Revision ! -Committee of the Upper House The I■' ?' j Bill proposes to restore a repealed pro- '■■ -"virfon that refusal to obey an order for ; -::•, restitution of conjugal ngMs migh be a ;" ', gnv.nd for divorce proceedings It aso :■ "•: proposes that after n decree of judicial ' separation has been in force fbriMtain time, such decree may be converted into a decree nisi on tho application ot one of th« parties.