LOCAL LICENSING ELECTIONS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27924, 22 March 1956, Page 12

LOCAL LICENSING ELECTIONS

Elimination Move Fails Narrowly MUNICIPALITIES' DISCUSSION (New Peaiana Press Association) INVERCARGILL, March 21. A move to eliminate elections for licensing committees was rejected by one vote at the annual conference of the Municipal Association in Invercargill today. The Rangiora Borough Council sug gested that the Licensing Act be amended to permit the elective members of licensing committees being appointed by the local authorities within the district. The Mayor of Rangiora (Mr C. W. Tyler) said the Licensing Control Commission now dealt with all the big problems, and the duties of (he licensing committees were considerably less onerous than formerly. An election in his district would cost about £4OO, and probably fewer than 5 per cent, of the electors would go to the polls. In the larger centres the cost of elections ran into thousands, and the poor polling results did not justify these costs, said Mr Tyler. The Mayor of Tauranga (Mr L. R. Wilkinson) said he saw no reason why the people who were at present standing the cost of the elections should not make the appointments. The Mayor of Auckland (Mr J. H. Luxford) said the whole system of electing licensing committees "required review, and would have to be reviewed soon. The present move would not be the answer. He personally would dislike the responsibility of making the appointments. The Mayor of Kaikohe (Mr H. F. Guy) said that, if it was a question of expense, why should not the licensinc committee electinns be held simultaneously with those for local bodv members?

Another delegate said that, in his area, there were six local bodies and only five members on the licensing committee for that district.

Mr Tyler said the appointments could be made by majority rule of all local body members in the area. The remit was declared carried on the voices, but when a show nf was taken it was rejected bv 63 votes to 62.