"Panic" Legislation

Fiji Plans To Restrict

A plan to reduce Fiji’s liquor

hours is causing some con

troversy in the Colony.

Amendments to the Liquor Ordinance gazetted on February 5, and to come up at the next session of the Legislative Council, will provide for “breathing spaces”, during which the hotels will not be allowed to sell liquor.

The present hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., but under the new pro posals these will be divided into three periods—from 11 a.m. to 2 P.m.; from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.. and from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Interim Measure

According to an official Govern ment statement facilities for continu t°nL dr i^, mg for 12 hour s “appears to be neither necessary nor desirable”

The announcement notes the amount or drunkenness in Fiji esneriallv altSton n tn th d s r Bge ® ts ® at the alteration to the liquor laws will be an interim measure, before a to| J year 6VieW ° f all P ° ints later in However, some people in Fiji are suggesting that once the drinkfng hours are divided up as proposed it Sain be hard 40 get altered ™^„? u^ a . c ? rres P° nden t says a great manydnnkers will welcome the 6 p -.m- cl° sure as a sound excuse fnr SJev n» Wlng from a “school” wJch

way" Others-and 1 theP *? to

y '-'tiiers ana their wives and

families—will welcome it as calling a halt to a financial extravagance which they can ill afford. Fiji’s crime prevention agencies will probably welcome it most of all, he says.

"Panic" Legislation

The correspondent says that while certain shiftworkers would have grounds for complaint over the 6 pm - closing time, there would not be so many people in volved. But he says there are others who look on the new proposals as panic legislation, and almost an ad mission that the police are incom petent to deal with drunkenness.

These people say the breaks will have the effect of increasing drunken ness around the evening closing time. Drinkers will go hard at it to nil themselves up before 6 o’clock. „ P}? mid-afternoon closing time is not likely to affect local drinkers but ffect jurists, who will be put on from liquor sources during the hours when most overseas ships are in port. The Colony is en deavouring to attract tourists by SI £ concessions to people build apparently it is prepared to cut them liVpw m a drink when tho y are P ,f%to want one. Many critics point out, too, that there is a very good win n £pf that the sly grog merchants an g 0 under the new wnnuS h °urs. Restricted hotel hours Ulicit* trader. m ° r6 bUSlness for the

REJOICING. Birth of a new Prince to Queen Elizabeth on February 19 brought rejoicing and congratulations from all over the British Com monwealth—and the Territories of the South Pacific were not excepted. In Suva (above) the news was accompanied by a fanfare of trumpets and a Royal salute as the Queen's Standard was raised on the Government Buildings.

Photo: Rob Wright.