The Ontario Scrapbook Hansard

Ontario Scrapbook Hansard, 28 Mar 1934, p. 2

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e1@e°TC( and s let the the w bofere cutput of home--brew was equal to the production of the breweries of the Province. Beer manufactured in the home was being sold, in many in-- stances, "at the blind pig next door." '"The time had come when we had to amend the law, bring it up to date," said Colonel Price. "We had to give the _ law--enforcement officers _ a chance." twin." Everywhere but through On-- tario publications, liquor advertising was reaching the public openly, through journals and the radio. Attention Directed to Liberals. The Attorney--Gencral then directed his arguments across--floor at the Lib-- eral group. He recalled the meeting in May of last year, at which "the Opposition Strategy Committee" had attempted to "dictate policy to the group opposite." It had been frecly predicted that Mitchell F. Hepburn, Ontario Liberal Leader, was going to bring in a wine and boeer policy, and this had been realized in the "tem-- perance measure" of Arthur Slaght, which had been opposed by the Legis-- lature members and the women dele-- gates, Supporting it had been J. C. McRuer, Hon. Vincent Massey and Arthur Roebuck. "Is this the same Roebuck who campaigned in Prince Eaward County with Rainey, and said that beer and wine were so terrible far -- tha -- annmtre9" _ acliad Calanal On advertising, he said that "papers were moving to Montreal to publish their journals and sghip them back here with liquor advertisements in for the country?" asked Colonel Price. '"Nobody can change faster than a Roebuck." In brief, said the Attorney--General, there were people at that Liberal meet-- ing who had been elected on a pro-- hibition policy in 1929 and "couldn't see their wn{cteo be dragooned." Among them had n Dr. McQuibban and William Newmar (Liberal, North Vic-- toria). And so, he continued, it "sur-- prised us all" to see the "anaemic statement" issued last week in which, he said, Dr. McQuibban, Mr. Nixon and all their following approved the Government policy. "Well, well, strange things happen," said Colonecl Price. "Lots of people have acquiesced in things and been sorry for it after-- man who knows what he's fighting ward." f Not Shilly--Shallying. As for the Conservatives, "this po!-- icy, led by the Prime Ministcr, has a firm policy, and we're not going to shilly--shally back and forth. If any-- body wants to beat me in my riding, let him do it. People like to see a Rezarding the effort to kcep the licuor question out of politics, Cslnel Price quoted from a speech made by Rev. A. J. Iwvwin last June, in which he predicted a beer and wine policy and urged his hearers to "get into political organizations and fight the avaricimis liquor interests." & Continuing, Colonel Price said: "We would like to know whare these hon-- orable members stand on this ques-- tion. There is no reason why the public shouldn't know. If they were elected on a prohibitionist platform and sinc> have changed their minds, let them come out and say so, putting the whole thinz fairly and squarely the standa~d set. The law could have been left at that, but '"'if you cut in th--re. and say sale at no other place, you might cut it too fine." In some places. there was no standard hotel, and then the "authority" would go to restaurant, club, labor union hall or militta mess. Veterans' organizations were to be allowed the privileg~, "and why shouldn't they have it? Or why not the laboring men?" As for restaurants, the board would see to it that "authorities" were issued in a rostricted way, with all safe-- guards. There would be no wide--open sale through restaurants the _ way there wus in the United States. Hours and days of sale would receive the board's att=ntion. hefere the public." | Explaining his bill, Colonel P:ice' said enlarged powers had been given th: Liquor Board in order that the | issue might be taken out of politics | and put in the hands of a Commis-- | sion which had given good adminis-- tration under Hanna, Drayton and| McClenaghan. The clause providing | for beer--sale in standard hotels did not mean that all such hcstelrics: would be given '"authoriti's." The board would sclect which ones should get the rights, and no hotel would ; get an authority unless it lived up to' Te member for Ontario South de-- fined pcossible attitud>s, labe'ling an affirmative vote, or» which favored ! the extension of facilities for obtain-- \ ing beer and win>, and a negative ' vote as one continuing the presont re-- strictions. *"Prohibition," he said, | "does not enter." "co--cperation with the Government on a most radical scale," the member for Omtaro South stated with a smile: "I offered co--cperation for the relief of the people of Ontario and am now up in the second row." Aorccins thot the meosine plared Roturning to the subject of acqui-- esconce, the membor for Oxntario South termed the éa'e of provs'ama-- tion as hardly clear to a lawyer It is clear, he adm'ttel, that if this Government wes w#urned it would proclaim the bill. "The acquissconce," he said, on the cther hand, "daes not definitely say what will haypen if another party is returned." Such a policy was of no personal help, either, Mr. S'ncl:a'r said, and this bill had nothing to do with the record of this Goverrment, "bad as that record is." Teorming the attiude Prosont facilitics, Mr. Sinclair con-- tended, permitted those who had mon»y to purchose about all the liquor they desired. Tae predicticn of cheap-- er bser was regarded quizzically. Handling of a commodity in retail quantities usually entails a greater cost, he observed,. "but strange things are happening." "Pre--election Bill." "This, of course, is a pre--election bill," Mr. Ei'nclair commented. Hark-- ing back to 1926, Ihe recalled with what speed the berr announcement had been Cropped about the second cay of the campa'gn, the then Pro-- mier, Fenguson, probably thinking ik beiter to got across the bridge with cmne ccmmodity at a time. With these words, Mr. Sinclair con-- cluded is spesch of measured pro-- test against tito bill, in which an an-- swor to Government arguments was coupled with the contention that a policy of acquiescence was untenable. Sugg>sting that a recent story in The Globe implied acceptance of the ac-- quiescence pclicy, he said: "As far es 1 can see it, such a position is un-- tenable--there is no middl> course." "I have never voted for the exten-- sicn of beor sale. I am not going to start today. I cannot be true to South Ontario and vote for tiis bill. If I acquiesce, I break faith. Honor, at my age,. is mcre to me than a seat my age, is mcre to me than a seat here. If my riding disapproves of my vote it cannot dGdisapprove of my reasons. I am faithful to the end on a platform on which I was elected. If no cther vote is given against the bill, I propose to do so." &CS, The Administration had "looked askance sometimes at the consump-- tion of liquor in hotel rooms, but we can't get away from that at the pres-- ent time, for a guest is entitled to :xa.ve llqu&rtm"htige room. But we hought that, average man or the average woman had a chance to have a glass of beer in the refresh-- ment--room, not so many would go up into the room to drink hard liquor." Te aim had been to keep away from "pounding and oppression and give the people a fair show in accord with the British conception of lib-- erty." He recalled that in the Old Country, where people could stand rroudlv and drink in the open day-- ight. drunkenness and crime had de-- creased and prisons were closed, and fitremendmmbaxhadbeenputon quor. Closing, Colonel Price said: "Not-- witnstanding what the Opposition cr the Prohibition Union will do, this Government will stand or fall on this The Government's effort was to supply '"a reasonable place for con-- sumption, and then trust the people to live up to the act.'" The Govern-- ment would keep temperance always in mind. There would be no bar, and drinking would be allowed in the re-- freshment room, at tables. The board was given th> chance to eliminate beer and wine permits, if it thought such a course advisable, It would be rather difficult to insist on production of a permit in every beverage--room. Temperance in Mind. ct, which they believe to be a good omperance measure." March 256 "I believe that this kind of drinking is most harmful, and if the Govern-- ment will amend the act and maks it lllegal to have liquor in any place ex-- cept the permit holder's actual resi-- dence I will support this bill, as I be-- lieve that such a change would greatly decrease the consumption of hard liquor. As the bill stands I intend to vote against it. "On the day this bill was intro-- duced, the corridors of this building looked more like the headquarters of a salsonkesgpers' convention than the Parliament of the Province of Ontario. "Some months ago in answer to an inquiry from a newspaper in my riding, I gave my views on the sale of beer. I stated at that time that I favored the sale of beer and wine with meals in hotels and restaurants, pro-- vided the LC.A. was amendsd so that a hotel bedroont, rented for a few hours, would not be considered > legal rosidence. spot," said Mr. Tweed. "You are bound to displease a large number of people, no matter which way you vote. "IMle.,«l selling can only be stopped by tying the license up with the prop-- erty, and, when the law is broken, cancel the license and close the build-- ing. At the prosent time, when illegal selling is discovened, it is usually found that the man who cleans out the spit-- toons i the owner, but not the real owner. to satisfy the distillers," he pointed out, adding that the decreass in beer consumption had probably been caused by the lack of money. "There are no figures before us showing that thore is a greator demand for beer." "I did not subscribe to the Oppo-- sition statement which evades the is-- sue," he said, forecasting his conclud-- ing declaration of cpposition. Of-- ficial Liberal rasolutions, he held, had sought to taks the matter out of politics, but this did not help on a vote which was n--~t a matior of party policy, but of ceach member. "The nolicy of the Liberal Party in 1929 was not prohibition, but that tom-- nerance should not be made a political faatlkal]l ) Mr. Morrison recalled his service as prosecutor at Hamilton for O.T.A. cases, Asked by Attorney--General Nickel if he ever broke the O.T.A. himself, he had frankly confessed that he did so frequently. He had added that the Judges, the Magis-- trates, th: Chief of Police, all broke it, as well as all the lawyers but one who had "one foot in the grave." He recalled the casse of Rocco Perri, "King of the Bootleggers," about \flwm nothing had been done by the bill cne might as well drop the "con-- trol" terminology and label it the Liquor Act. In answer to Government argu-- ments, the member for Ontario South referred to their comments about the falling sales of beer. "That isn't going kn ounikEmios -- AL 0 4e dneg PrEINE WY focotball. calling that it was to be known in Toronto if "any of the boys" bought a bottle of beer, and that permits would be cpen only to men of guar-- anteed reputation, Mr. Sinclair de-- clared that now the beer would be available to any one who had the 5b--cent piece. The people of the Prov-- ince, he declared, have approved of the 'I:'ifluor Control Act, and with the new Experiences in Hamilton. Oe w (Nus 2 2o 5TN > HHELHITE : Cb will go to the board; if there is credit it will go to the Government, The legislation was a far cry from the tenor of arguments introduced when the Liquor C--ntrol Board was first advocated, he pointed out. Re-- & a great deal of responsibility on "I prop--se to poll my vote against '"This is the kind of legislation that, of the ekg . o CTee+ _ Cochaten if there is blame of "' he

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