SIX O’CLOCK CLOSING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1737, 12 July 1917, Page 3

SIX O’CLOCK CLOSING.

GOVERNMENT CONDEMNED FOR INEPTITUDE. The question of G o’clock closing of hotels was referred to in very pointed terms by Dr. A. K. Newman, in the course of his speech during the Addrcss-in-Reply debate on Tuesday, in the House of Representatives. He stated that the. whole' community was agitated, but the Government would not indicate what its policy was going to be. Eight o’clock closing .had been proposed, hut it had been lost by 13 votes, and 9 o’clock closing had been defeated by one vote. He believed that at present this question agitated the public more than any one question. Not only the Prohibition party, but those outside (be movement demanded reform. “We have the mis- < rahlo clause about anti-shouting,” said the Doctor, “hut it is piffle.” (Hear,bear). The regulation was broken from one end of the country to the other, and had no effect whatever. The public wanted to know the altitude (In; Government was going to take in this matter, and he hoped that some reform would he brought in. France had stopped the drinking of absinthe, and Russia bad stopped I lie sate of vodka, while Australia bad carried G o’clock closing and Canada bad done something in lln* matter. The one country that had done nothing was New Zealand, hut the public was determined that this country should do something. He was confident that if (he question was put to the people of New Zealand (1 o’clock' closing would he carried by a m.jaority of Iwo to one. He hoped and trusted in the interests of New Zealand that it would he possible to curvy some reform in New Zealand. ANGLICAN ' SYNOD FAVOURS SIX O’CLOCK CLOSING. The Anglican Synod passed the following motion by a large majoriI y:— “That the Synod emphatically ve-a(linns -the opinion that it would be in the interests of the country to c!o>c the bar,- of the liotcL and clulis ut G pan. during the period of I lie war and for six months I hereof ter, und that a copy of the resolution be sent to the Government, urging them to bring in legislation to ibis effect, or jo authorise a referendum on the subjeel.”