LICENSING LAW PUZZLES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 7914, 30 September 1909, Page 2

LICENSING LAW PUZZLES.

Per Press Association. ; WELLINGTON, September 29, Some curious anomalies m the licensing law are pointed out by Mr Joliffe, law draughtsman, m his "Annotated Licensing Law," which has just been compiled. He claims that city licensing districts are, according to the- Licensing Act, those districts referred to m the City Single Electorates -Act, 1903. Since that year the Representation Commissioners have considerably.altered the boundaries, notably m Wellington, where the Wellington Suburbs district has cut into several of the old electorates, but the current licensing law takes no notice of these altered boundaries. Therefore it is impossible to take a valid poll m a. city licensing district, "as the same subsisted on the coming into operation of this Act," the City Single Electorates Act, 1903.;.; |Mr JolifTe also claims that owing*to the changing of boundaries the issue "That the number of license's, be increased" is virtually inoperative, as it is almost impossible to prove that the population of the district has increased by 25 per| cent. Another fact which may lead to a serious irregularity at licensing elections is that persons employed' m the election as scrutineers, clerk's or messengers, or from whom any committeeroom has been hired on. behalf of a candidate, are debarred : front j voting. A list of these individuals and thejr numbers on the roll, if they ■ are electors, has to be deposited with the returning officer, who must submit a copy to each deputy. If anyone on the list applies to vote and receives a bdllot paper it has to be marked, "disqualified by employment." Unless this section of the Act is carried out it might lead to wholesale bribery, and Mr Joliffe remarks that there* 'appears to be no sufficient reason for its.nonobservance.