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The Government's beer bill is before the House, and the Opposition acquiesces in it. . These developments came in fast order late yesterday. iJ ust before the Legislature rose at 6 o'clock Attorney--General | 'Price introduced his measure providing for sale of beer and lwine by the glass. Opposition members immediately went into joint conference, and emerged a few hours later with a lstatement that, to keep the liquor issue out of politics, they. were prepared to acquiesce in the measure without discussion. Statement Issued Mpy Nullify Design Attorney--General Price Discloses Terms of Wider Sale Plan--Beer and Wine at Meals in Hotels' Allowed, and Likely in Restaurants ard Clubs-- Beverage Rooms Established -- Veterans' and. Labor Union Clubs Also Privilegeflf to Sell, All: Under Control of Board x RESPONSIBILITY IS GOVERNMENT'S, OPPOSITION MEMBERS DECIDE The Conservative plan, it was understood, had been to pass the bill through the House, but not proclaim it, so making it an election issue, with the promise that the bill would become law if the Government party returned to power. The Opposition's move apparently has robbed the issue of its cam-- paign value, but whether this would advance the date on which the bill became effective was a matter of speculation last night. Enlarged Powers For Liquor Board Attorney--General Price explained a measure which will permit sale of beer by the glass in hotels, restaurants DCCL JY LC gitk®) IlL IIVVCIG, A CavUiRctt EOEA All persons selllng beer would re-- and clubs, and sale of wine With quire an "authority" from the Liquor meals. Board. This would apply both to He ouuimea tme vastly cniarged pow. owners of the business and to em-- ers given the Liquor Control Board ployees engaged in the serving of to supervise the wider sale, while at beverages. the same time "to continue strict _A long list of restrictions would be regulation" while giving "an opportu-- Placed upon granting of "authorities" nity to the general public to consume and upon sale of beer. Both the pro-- beer by the glass under proper re-- prictor of the premises and his guests strictions, ang to provide a cheaper would have to conform with the beer than heretofore obtainable." boa.rd:h m}gllu:tlons. f'figt gims being upon the host to see ose regu-- WW * _.._ o. ~. nntons were observed. Colonel Price announced also that another bill would be introduced em-- powering the Liquor Board to eliminate the need of a permit for purchase of beer and wine. A sentence in the same connection was significant: "The board already have the power to reduce the permit fee at present charged." .¥ Advertising in newspapers and by radio, and permits for beer and wine at banquets, also became probabili-- tics when Colonel Price mentioned that the board already has authority in this Girection, but never has exercised it. Definite word was given that the local option feature of the present act will be extended to provide for votes on the subject of beer and wine in dining--rooms, or beer in refreshment rooms, as provided by the regulations. To Control Sale Of Tory Strate'gy (Text of Beer--Sale Bill on Page "The Liquor Control Board has now full power to control and regulate the supply and sale of liquor, of all kinds, in stores, breweries, brewery ware-- houses, distilleries and _ winsries, throughout the Province. This Bill ex-- tends the power of the board to en-- able it to authorize the sale of beer and wine with meals in dining--rooms in standard hotels and such other places (which would include restaur-- ants and clubs) as the board may from time to time determine under its regu-- latiqns as empowered by this act. It also empowers the board to authorize the sale of beer by the glass in the, refreshment room in standard hotels, and in veterans' and labor union clubs, as provided by the act and regulations. 'The esasential clause in the bill em-- powers the Liquor Board to authorize sale of beer and wine by the glass under certain restrictions,. A hotel, restaurant or club would be allowed to sell either beer or wine in the dining-- room with meals. A hotel could estab-- lish a refreshment room where beer alone could be sold by the glass, but meals need not be served. 'This privi-- lege would be extended also to vet-- erans' and labor union clubs. Colonel Price's explanation of the present measure, and the supplemen-- tary one which he will introduce, was as follows: Authorize Sales. To handle the new situation, . the Liquor Board would be given new re-- sponsibilities and authorities. Th board would continue to exercise full power over all aspects of the beer and wine trade. "This Bill amends the Liquor Con-- trol Act by adding Part 3A. March 2 2 1J.) "An 'authority' will be issued by the board to any person empowered to sell under this act and its regulations. The board maintains its control of both the supply and sale. Power of Board. "It is believed that the control ex-- . ercised by the Liquor Control Board, in its seven years of operation, has contributed very largely to the proper carrying out of the provisions of the Liquor Control Act. The aim, there-- fore, of this amendment is to con-- tinue the strict regulation of the Liquor Control Board, and at the same time to give an opportunity to the gencral public to consume beer by the glass under proper restrictions, and to provide a cheaper beer than hereto-- fore obtainable, and also to permit the general public to have beer, or wine. with their meals in standard hotels and in such other places as the board may from time to time feel dis-- posed to grant. . "It has been thought most import-- ant to give the board sufficient power to deal with this problem, using their discretion as to whether an 'authority' should be granted from time to time. Consumption Lessens. "Liquor consumption in this Prov-- ince has dropped from the peak year of 1929 from $55,000,000 to $30,000.000 in 1933. The greatest reduction has occurred in spirituous liquors, a much smaller reduction in the consumption of beer, while the consumpticn of wine has decreased very little. It is anticipated that with a freer dis-- tribution of beer and wine there will Liberal House Leader McQuibbhan asked the Attorney--General to explain the purport of the measure, and Col-- onel Price read the prepared state-- ment which appears above. At the conclusion, Progressive Leader Nixon asked assurance that the local--option features of the present act would be maintained, with a three--fifths vote required before a local option district | could zo wet. _ This assurance the , Attorney--General gave. be a further decrease in the con-- sumption of spirituous liquors and an increase in the consumption of beer and of light wine. It will also remove the fecling of the average working man that he has been discriminated against in not being permitted to buy a glass of beer. Nearly 175.000 home-- brew permits granted by the Federal authorities has presented a menace which had to be met. This act puts the control of the consumption of beer back in the hands of the board, and should be an aid to temperance und sobriecty. o ... "In a further bill which will be in-- troduced, in which there will be amendments to the general sections of the act to make it conform with this new part which is being added, the Liouor Control Board will be 'given powor. shculd they deem it in the in-- terests cf temperance and for better contrecl cf the salse and consumption of bser and wins, to make it unnsces-- sary to have a permit to purchase beer and winc, or either of them, as is at present being carried out under the Liquor Control Act. The board already have the power to reduce the permit fee at present charged. _ "The board has already power to permit advertising in newspapers and by radio. i Early yesterday afternoon, Conser-- vative members attended a caucus and heard--most of them for the first time--the particulars of the forth-- coming legislation. _ Released from caucus at 3 pm., just before the House sat, they were still in some doubt as to whether the bill would come down yesterday afternoon. The House plodded through routine work until 5.45 p.m. '"The board has also power to grant a permit for the consumption of beer and wine at banquets. y T "'The local option features of the present Liquor Control Act are con-- tinued, but will be extended so that local option dGistricts may vote on whether they want beer and wine in dining--rooms, or beer in refreshment rooms, as provided by the regulations." Attorney--General Price rose, and an expectant hush fell. "Before the House rises," he said, "I beg leave to introduce, seconded by Mr. Henry, & bill entitled an Act to Amend the Liquor Control Act, and----." . The rest of his sentence, the formal mo-- tion for first reading, was inaudible above the Conservative desk--pounding that lasted for nearly a full minute. "Neither of these powers has so far been exercised. The price of beer under the new system would be 5 cents a glass, ac-- cording to the general report. Rumors concerning details of the bill had been current for months, but Government secrecy was maintained to the end.