THE NEW LICENSING BILL.

Evening Star, Issue 9772, 31 July 1895, Page 2

THE NEW LICENSING BILL.

[From Our Parliamentary Reporter,]

WELLINGTON, July 31. The long-lookcd-for Licensing Bill has at length been finally approved by the Cabinet, and, though the measure has not yet been circulated, the Premier has been courteous enough to intimate to me its main provisims. The measure will be known as the Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act Amendment Bill. It is to come into operation before the day’ appointed for the first annual election.

After the commencement of the Act no licenses shall be granted or renewed until the electors of the district have determined on the following four Questions(l) Whether the number of licenses then existing in the district is to be continued; (2) whether the number of licenses in the district is to be reduced; (3) whether any licenses shall be granted in the district; (4-) whether any licenses shall be granted in the colony. Mr Seddon points out that these interrogatories mean “as you were ” —reductions, local option, and colonial option. The poll is to be taken on the day of the Ueneral Election, but different colored papers and different ballot boxes are to be provided. Every voter is to be allowed to vote for auy one on two of the before-mentioned proposals. A voter, for instance, may strike out “as you were” and “reduction,” and vote straight for local and colonial Prohibition, or he can plump for a continuance of the existing state of things. When votes are counted, a bare majority will carry “as you were ” or reduction, but in order to carry local or colonial Prohibition a threefifths majority is required. The difference between the proposed Bill and that of last session is that those who voted for local option had their votes added to reduction, whereas now they must state definitely whether they favor reduction.

In the districts where licenses are taken away, such as the Clutha, provision is made for the restoration of licenses, but there must be a three-fifths majority of the votes recorded. Bower is also given to vote for National Prohibition.

Elective committees are continued as at present, with the stipendiary magistrate as chairman; but in the case of failure to elect a committee the stipendiary magistrate is to perform all the r functions. In case Colonial Prohibition is carried the provisions are very stringent. All liquors landed in the colony arc to bo placed in the Queen’s bond, and are not to be sold except to chemists for medicinal purposes, or for the purposes of ma-iufacturo there. Where restoration of licenses is carried the Committee must grant not less than 50 per cent, if applied for and not more than the total number of licenses which were in existence prior to thp enforcement of Prohibition. Railway refreshment rooms and clubs are to be made subject to the local option vote, and no club license can be granted for promises closed owing to reduction.

Election expenses qre to be defrayed by the local bodies, and the amount of such expenses are to be proportionate to the revenue received.

Increase of licenses is prohibited, except in the case of increase of population, as provided in the original Act. No new bottle licenses or wine licenses are to be granted, and existing bottle licenses aro only to be renewed up till the time that the next poll is taken, and then are to be entirely discontinued.

In the case of an application for a license being postponed, provision is made for continuing the license till the matter is decided. An importont alteration in tho law is proposed with regard to supplying Natives. No licensed person is to be permitted to supply a female Maori with liquor under a penalty of £2O and, after reduction of licensed houses is carried, this offence counts in the offences which entail forfeiture of licenses. This reform has long been advocated by t|ie Maori chiefs in order to prevent the degradation of their women folk. There is also a penalty for selling to a male Maori in a state of intoxication

A prohibited person entering a public-house and asking for liquor is to lie fined, and any person endeavoring to supply a prohibited person is also liable to a penalty. It shall be lawful, but not obligatory, on hotelkeepers to supply lodgers or bona fide travellers with refreshments at any time, but no other person, “traveller” being defined as a person com mg from a journey. A provision aimed to meet the case of the young men at Christchurch is that which provides that on a person al'eging that he‘ is a traveller shall rest the burden of proof that lie is 'uch an one. and if his statement is false then he is liable to imprisonment. ‘ ' 1 ! As regards removals of licenses, these can q ly be transferred to a house within the same borough, town district, riding, or county, or road district, and in no case is a removal to be further than five rpiles by the nearest road from the originally licensed premises. It is stipulated that nothing in section 21 of the Alcoholic Liquor Act, 1593, shall be construed to affect licenses in the Addington, Newtown, and -Sydenham last districts.

Bellamy’s is dealt with, it being provided that on the first session of each new Parliament a poll shall bo taken on tho first sitting day after the Address-in-Reply of both Houses, and the question whether liquor is to be sold within the precincts of the buildings during the ensuing Parliament is determined by a piajority of the combined votes.

Clubs are only to be permitted to supply

liquors at such hours as other licensed premises.

The provision that one-half the moiety is required to make a poll valid is to be abolished. “ Conditional ”, licenses are to be issued as at present, so that the outlook for jockey clubs and agricultural societies is not encouraging. _ The Bill, of course, is to be read in conjunction with existing statutes.