Liquor Laws
p. 63 · Read in the full issue
Pressure For
Liberal
“It’s your choice!” said a full page advertisement in the Cook Islands News in September.
“We believe,” said the advertise ment, “that the people of Rarotonga have as much right as tourists to enjoy life, to drink, dance and be entertained in an atmosphere of re laxation and comfort, to go out oc casionally and in the company of others, participate in the pleasure of taking a drink legally, away from the limitations of a home, or the con cealment of the inland bush. . . . The people of Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti and other Pacific Islands do not suffer such restrictions. They have adopted an attitude appropriate to the times and their sense of maturity.”
The advertisement was inserted by a local firm, Escapa Holdings Ltd., which said frankly that it made no bones about the fact that it wanted to apply for a restaurant licence but it was unable to do that until it could convince the government there was need to change the law and allow somebody to hear applications for and grant liquor licences now—and not issue them only when tourists begin to arrive in large numbers after the new airport is completed in 1972.
At present there are no licensed premises in the Cooks where people can meet to dance, drink and be entertained. Facilities for tourists, which include licensed hotels and motels, have been approved.
“Unless Rarotonga can show the governing powers that there is a demand now, how long will it be before such licences are granted?”
Escapa Holdings asked the people of Rarotonga in its advertisement.
To back up its argument, it gave figures showing that government bond store sales of liquor (only the gov ernment can import and sell liquor in the Cooks) had grown steadily each year from $lOB,OOO in 1964/5, to $135,000 in 1967/8, $177,000 in 1968/9 and approximately $200,000 for nine months of 1969.
In just over a week following publication of the advertisement more than 1,300 Rarotonga residents signed a petition circulated by Escapa aimed at establishing a Licensing Authority. The petition will be pre sented to the Legislative Assembly in November.