Expected Soo

Report On P-N Liquor Lows Expected Soo

From “PIM” Correspondents an AAP-Reuter After hearing a great de; evidence at various Ten

centres in September, Judge;

son, the chairman of the 0 mission of Inquiry into P liquor laws, said the Commi hoped to have its report

pleted by mid-October.

BY the time the commission completed its Madang hearing witnesses had given evidence.. commission began its hearings h Moresby in August. {PIM, Se; 121.) Besides the chairman, the coc sioners are Mrs. Thelma Price, I J. O’Hanlon, Messrs, R. On Mase Rei and Stanis Boramilaf the Rev. P. Chatterton.

The commission’s task is to ii into the means and methods of] ing P-NG’s ban on consumptiJ liquor by natives and to examin sent liquor laws to recommend j prehensive liquor and licensin dinance.

Repeal "Overdue 7 '

One of the witnesses in SepK was the Acting Administrator John Gunther, who said repc legislation barring P-NG natives consuming alcohol legally was s overdue.

The discriminatory nature present legislation was damag Australia’s reputation, he said..

At present more than 95 pea of the P-NG people wanted tr gress in partnership with Am but continuation of discrimx laws could do great harm t partnership.

“A large percentage of peopc upon the present liquor leg]| as the very symbol of discrimim he said.

When two of the commisi pointed out that “complete ar restricted” native access to would involve an amendment Commonwealth Parliament t Papua-New Guinea Act, Dr. O said he had heard views that dieted that opinion.

Mr. Chatterton said he cearned that “a very great o harm” could be done if thei mission recommended removal!

[nation and then the Australian jrnment was unwilling to recom i repeal of the Papua-New iea Act. would imagine there would be ry violent reaction, if a glass of were snatched from the lives of ndigenes,” Mr. Chatterton added. r. Gunther replied: “I can only hat we have gone so far now in ;ing people that they will be fed some form of alcohol in the future, that anything that pro s this could also be very harm hen the chairman asked Mr. ther his views on a policy of aally introducing liquor rights, as osed by a number of native wit s, Dr. Gunther said that within ar people who wanted this would be opposed to any continuing ictions. sked whether he thought the corn ion should try to recommend k action or “await legislative se” early next year, Dr. Gunther ed: “If we have to wait until beginning of March before we recommend the implementations, n personally and frankly quite ied about what we are going to n the interim.” iost of the witnesses who gave ence said in effect that drinking natives should be open slather, added amendments to control the ler. There was some talk of local ons, but only a handful of wit es was positively against the in fection of liquor.