LICENSING LAW.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1379, 4 March 1912, Page 3

LICENSING LAW.

NOMINATIONS OF COMMITTEES. ELECTION' IN" SI'BURBS. Nominations'of members to fit upon the various District Licensing Coiiiiiiillees closed at noon on Saturday lail, and elections, where necessary, will take place on March 12. In Wellington City, only the requisite- number of members have boon nominated, and (hero will bo no election, but in ■Wellington Suburbs anil Country District ninn persons, one oi , them a lady, have been nominated, whereas only five are required, and an ek-cHon will thus bo necessary. It appears somewhat regrettable that the expense of an election should be incurred in the Suburbs District, for tin , duties of the committee, when it; is elected, will be of a purely nominal character. The area is a NoLiceiiso one, but the, last (.Iteration of boundaries brought into it two hotels, one at Poririta and ouo at Pnhautanui. Unless special legislation is passed, these houses will lose their licenses as a result of their inclusion in a No-License area. Failing special action of this kind the liconso will expire, on June 30 next. The duty of the committee is to meet on one of the first ten days of J.une, and, in the caso of a district in which No-License has been carried, or retained, at the previous local option poll, to refuse to renew any hotel licenses. This is all that the Suburbs Licensing Committee will be called upon to do, and, under tho circumstances, tho expend of an election would seem to Iμ profitless. The Licensing Committee might possibly make representations to tho authorities in regard to the two hotels concerned, but this can be done'in any case by the parties interested. During the session of 1911, a deputation waited upon Sir .las. Carroll, to ask that steps should bo taken to renew the licenses of tho two hotels, and Mr. W. H. D. Bell (mepiber for the district) put a question to Sir Joseph Ward on the subject in the House of Representatives on Thursday last. Both Ministers tentatively expressed the opinion that hotel licenses should nnly be taken away, or restored, by a vote of the people, but, in the absence of special legislation, tho opinion, is an opinion and nothing more. Sir Joseph Ward stated that there would bo limo for Parliament to express its will in tho matter when it assembled in Juno next. In order to carry out an election in the Suburbs District, the returning officer (Mr. J. Salmond) will have to employ some fifty deputies. Following are the nominees and their nominators in tho districts indicated:—

WELLINGTON CITY. Walter Jas. Helyer <R. G. Denton, ('has. Willcox Smith, Jas. Win. Brown); Geo. Jennings Pcthcrick (Wm. M'Donald, Robt. Orr Whyte, Henry Brittnin); John Smith (Robt. Orr Whyte, Alfred Jas. Bennett, Chas. Willcox Smith); Geo. Tiller (Alfred Jas. Bennett, Robt. Kennedy, Jas. Wm. Brown); Geo. Wm. Wilton (Robt. Kennedy, Kobt. Geo. Denton, Henry- Brittain). Only the required number of candidates having been nominated, they have been declared duly elected by the returning officer (Mr. J. D. A very). '

SUBURBS DISTRICT. Wm. Galloway (Alex. Nicol, Wm. Boulton); Frank Thos. Mooro (Thos. Henry Eastwood, Alex. Augustus Moore); Thos. Henry Eastwood (Frank Thos. Mooro, Alex. Augustus Moore); Geo. Stevens (Walter Jos. Hook, Edward Brown); Charles Cathie (Robt. Hull, Ernest Edward Pennington, John Geo. Raine); Hector Norman Jl'Leod (Philip Bennett, Walter Ernest Tomlin); John Keith (Harold Henry Miller, Win. Alex. Patterson) ; Wm. Cook (Walter John Carman, Harold Henry Miller); Lily May Atkinson (Ernest Edward Pennington.' Walter Ernest Tomlin, John Geo. Raine). As stated, an election will bo held on March 12.

HAWKE'S BAY. (By Telegraph—Frees Association.} Hastings, March 2. Ten candidates were nominated for tho Hawkc's Bay licensing elections. PAHIATUA. ■: fßy Teleeraph.—Special CorrcspnnSenM Woodville, March 2. The following gentlemen have been returned unopposed as the committee of tha l'ahjatua licensing district:—Messrs. Edear Ilardiug, John Harris, DaviHughesi J. D. Wilson, and Dr. Riddcll. PALMERSTON NORTH. ' Palmsrston North, March 2. Messrs. C. N. Clausen, C. Dunk, J. M. Johnston, H. Palmer, W. Beck, and (.1. Woodroofe have been nominated for the Palmerston Licensing Bench, and an election will take place on March 12. The first five names are those of the sitting members. GISBORNE. (By TeloEra»h-Pro»i Association.) Gisborne, March 2. Eight nominations have been received for the five members of the Licensing Committee. The elections will b? held on March 12. OTAGO. Duncdin, March 3. Ten candidates have been nominated for the City Licensing Committee—live by the Moderate party and five by the Temperance party. In Duacdin South thero are also ten nominations—five by each parly. In Chalmers a compromise has 'been ellected, the No-License party nominating three candidates and the Moderate- party two. Nine candidate? have bepn nominated for the Central Otauo Committee.