THE LICENSING BILL.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 56, 3 September 1904, Page 9

THE LICENSING BILL.

In tho llouso of Commons on Wednesday tho Licensing Bill, by the aid of the "guillotine," passed through Committee. Iv one important particular, though, we fear, only in one, the Bill has been improved. By a Government amendment adopted on Tuesday the Justices will have power to make such conditions as to payments for a now license and ite tenure as shaH "prevent any privato person from obtaining any * benefit from' any monopoly value of the license." A license may be granted for a period of seven years, and at tho ond of that period an application shall be treated as made, not for a renewal, but aa for a new license. Though the number of new licewses granted i« 100 small to make the money thus obtained for public purposes a matter of importance, wo gladly welcome this emphatic recognition of tho principle that the grant of a share in the liquor monopoly should not bo given gratis by the State, but should bo paid for at its market value. Logically, tho Government should have applied the principle to the old licenses after a time-limit. — the arguments which support their action in the case of new licenses aro all applicable to the old licenses — bu4- now that tho principle has been accepted this may bo left over to be accomplished by the next Parliament-. As we have pointed ouc, the brewers liave overreached themselves, and tho public education effected by the discussion of tho Licensing Bill bus made a high-licensing system in tho future a certainty.