The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times.) SATURDAY, MARCH 15th, 1921. LICENSING REFORM.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 March 1924, Page 2

The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times.) SATURDAY, MARCH 15th, 1921. LICENSING REFORM.

Tils-; question of licensing letorm was up for consideration before the Commercial Travellers au/fnial conference af Wellington this week. The matter could not be considered by a more qualified assembly, seeing that travellers are constantly on the wing, am! making daily use of the hotels lor accommodation. Their considered opinion is well woitli noting. The eonterence resolved to ask the Prime Minister to bring down legslation at the coming

session with referenee to the representations of the special parliamentary Committee on the Licensing Act. lor far too long the has dallied with the question of licensing refoim. ami though it has found a way for bulking the question by appointing special committees to report, Governmenthas never bad the courage to put the recommendations of the Committees before Parliament with a view to remedial legislation. One ol the commercial nun speaking at AA'ellington this week rcierred to the fact that the Country “a; .suffering from the. want of adequate hotel accommodation. 'Hie lack of it, combined with other inadequacies winch it is not possible to supply owing to the limited tenure the licensing law gives, is the generic cause of a shortage in the tourist traffic. The speaker at AYellington said that what was required was the reform of the licensing law, not the abolition of tbo trade. New Zealand cannot afford to dally w'th this question. The Dominion needs to make its shores as attractive as possible. A liberal licensing law which "ill give a .secure tenure to well conducted and well equipped bouses, "ill do more to -build up the prosperity of the country than anything else. 'I he average globe trotter is used to firstclass hotel accommodation, and the standard of excellence is not attained in this country, as in oversea places. Under a reasonable tenure, licensees would be expected to fully equip their houses for the best trade, and the comfort created would draw more people lo New Zealand. All the centres at present lack sufficient- accommodation lor special occasions. The hotels have not expanded with the ordinary growth iu’the population. But were the tenure more secure, there would be the lever to demand something better. At preset't the excuse of a bare three years tenure serves on all occasions to excuse large expenditure, but this state of affairs should not continue indefinitely, ft is due to the public ns much as to the licensee, to see tbnf the law provides for fit and proper accommodation, and there should be the effort to meet the demands of the times. The Prime Minister has stated that licensing legislation is contemplated. It should certainly be brought down early in the session so that there will not -he any font of the measure being talked out. If the Government is sincere in the views expressed through Ministers from time to time, the reform of the licensing laws will be one of the first bills placed before Parliament at the coming session.