WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 22 September 1917, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

ST~g O’CLOCK CLOSING.

accepted hy the house

(Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, September 21. Forty-four to twenty-six! Not the most sanguine of the “six o’dockers” in House expected their proposal for the restriction of hotel hours to be carried by such a thumping majority as this. A few of them, not more than three or four, had hopes of it getting through by a narrow margin, but they were the extreme optimistists of the party and their fellows looked for nothing better than a compromise at seven o ’clod*. On the other side quiet confidence prevailed. The fact that eight o’clock appeared in the Government’s Bill and the knowledge that it would bo supported by seven of the ten Ministers now sitting in the representative chamber were relied upon to keep the waiverers in line and on Wednesday night the popular prediction was a majority of two or three for the less drastic proposal.

A CHANGE IN THE BAROMETER. There are conflicting stories as to just what happened between Wednesday night and Thursday, morning, but it was obvious when the House re-as-sembled yesterday afternoon that the prospects of the “six o’dockers” had materially improved. Among other things it was whispered about that if eight o ’clock were deleted from the Bill, Mr. Massey would take up -six o’clock as the Government proposal and push it through with all the influence he could command short of exercising personal or party pressure. Whether this was intended as a threat to the one party or as an encouragement to the other was not quite plain, but in the end it certainly had the effect of bringing a clear cut issue to a speedy settlement. There was no superflous talking and no disposition to delay the passage of the measure. Members all seemed anxious to get it out of the way in one shape or another as quickly as possible. EIGHT O’CLOCK GOES. Directly the short title of the Bill had been passed Mr. G. J. Anderson, moved that eight o’clock, specified as the closing hour of hotel bars should be struck out of the body of the measure. There was no debate on the question and on going to a division the motion of the member for Mataura was carried by forty-one to twentyeight, Mr. Jennings pairing for the retention of eight o’clock and Sir John Findlay against, thus bringing the voting strength of the House up to seven-ty-one, within nine of its full number. The absentees from the division list were Sir F. W. Lang, Mr. Malcolm, the Chairman of Committee, Mr Hine, Mr. Coates, ■ and Mr. Seddon, away at the front, Mr Wilford, engaged in an important law case. Mr. W. D. Stewart undergoing hospital treatment, and Mr. Ngata, suffering from indisposition. A fuller vote has rarely been recorded in the House.

SIX O 'CLOCK COMES, It was expected by several of the members who voted against eight o'clock that they would have an opportunity to choose between six o'clock and some later hour, but directly the result of the division was announced Mr. Massey justified the rumours that had been in circulation earlier in the day by proposing "on behalf of the Government” that six o’clock should be the closing hour. At the same time the Prime Minister stated he was “firmly tjic that something must be done on the Hues proposed by the Efficiency Board, meaning, it was assumed, that the question of prohibition during the course of the war, with compensation, would have to be submitted to the electors. This settled the matter. After Sir Joseph Ward had expressed his agreement with the proposals of the Efficiency Board and directed the attention of the House to the gravity of the financial questions involved the amendment of six o'clock was carried by forty-one to twenty-six, witTT Sir John Findlay and Mr Jennings again pairing and the Bill encountered no further opposition.

PUBLIC OPINION. Of course there arc honest differences of opinion as to the wisdom of the experiment to which the House has practically committed the country, hut speaking generally the public is’well disposed towards the earlier closing of the hotels. Whether eight o’clock would have been a better hour than six o’clock is still a moot question, and whether the intention of the law can be enforced i s another, but it is something for Parliament to have faced the problem free from party ties and with the broad outlook which concerns itself only wffh the welfare of the people of the Dominion and the special duty thev owe just now to the vastly wider bigger community of the Empire.