LICENSE TRANSFER

Hokitika Guardian, 2 July 1920, Page 3

LICENSE TRANSFER

JUMP OF 60 TO 70 MILES. BREACHES OF LICENSING ACT WELLINGTON, July I.' At question time in the House o! Representatives yesterday, Mr L. M Isitt, (Christchurch North) called tlu attention of the Prime Minister, without notice, to certain alleged breaches of the Licensing Act. The hon. member stated that certain sections of the Act provided that in a borough the license of a house should not be transferred to another house more than half a mile away, and that a license in the case of a county should not he transferred to a house more than a mile away; hut in some cases licenses had been removed as far as sixty or seventy miles. In order to evade the Act, he said, licenses were applied for, hut the applicants omitted to pay the license fee so that a license could he set afloat. Then application was made to a favourable bench to have the license transfer, red to a considerable distance. In one case those concerned actually told the court, that was to say, the Licensing Bench, that that was the express purpose they had in view, and that that was the course of action they were taking. Ho put it to the Prime Minister that such barefaced evasion of the Act should bo prevented. PRIME MINISTER’S REPLY. Mr Massey said that the answer to the first part of the question was that the attention of the Government had been called to the case some little time ago, when the application came before the Licensing Bench at Tauranga on June 10th. On that occasion the application was opposed by the Government, represented by the Crown Prosecutor from Auckland. His difficulty was that the case was subjudico, and he, therefore, thought it wrong he should say anything that would influence the. Licensing Bench, hut the application would be opposed on this occasion as on the last. i WHICH MINISTER? ' Mr Isitt said that he wished to ask , a question ,also, of the Minister for i Justice. The hotel in question was being rushed up at lightning speed. The men were working at night by electriclight, and they even worked on Saturday last. He wanted to know why they were allowed to violate the law, and directed the Minister’s attention to this flagrant breach of the law, expressing the hope that he would take steps to see that there was no recurrence of it. If he employed men building a shop or a house on Sunday the police would very soon interfere. I The Hon E. P. Lee said that the hon. member should have directed the question to the Minister in Charge of Police. (Laughter). Mr Isitt: I have very great pleasure • iu shifting the question to the Minister for Police. (Laughter.) ' The Prime Minister, as Minister in Charge of Police, said that he would be very glad to call the attention of the , police to the statements made bv the > hon. member, |