BOUNDARIES AND LIQUOR

Evening Star, Issue 22780, 15 October 1937, Page 8

BOUNDARIES AND LIQUOR

COMMISSION RECOMMENDS LEGISLATION PMTECTiOM OF LICENCES [Fboji Oue Parliamentary Report**.] WELLINGTON, October 15., An important point affecting licensed premises is the recommendation of the Electoral Boundary Commissioners ia their final report submitted to Parliament to-day that the law should bo altered in cases where it is found desirable to extend the boundary or a No-license district so as to includo licensed premises. _ . „ The commission recommends the Government to introduce legislation to provide that under such circumstances the license shall in no way be affected by such boundary alteration. , Another genera! recommendation is that, to more adequately meet the requirement that regard should be had for community interest in adjusting boundaries, the present permitted margin above or below the quota sho' Ld be increased from 1.8034 i per cent to 2J per cent, for urban electorates, and from 6J to 10 per cent, in rural electorates. The lack of this wider discretion* states the commission, prevented in from giving effect to a number of requests based on community interest, which were 'recognised as being just and reasonable.

The changes made from the provisional boundaries announced earlier an* not important. The large number of petitions protesting against the elimination of Chalmers electorate produced the decision, “ Unable to comply-” The South Island section of the commission reported in regard to this decision that the examination of 13 Otago and Southland electorates showed such a large, deficiency, particularly in the vicinity of Dunedin,! that it was found necessary to eliminate Chalmers. The commissioner* add; “Had any attempt been made to eliminate a district elsewhere it weald have seriously disturbed the majority of existing South Island electorates.’’ Some changes of names have been, approved. Palmerston electorate is to be known as Palmerston North; Parnell is to be renamed Remnera as better describing the area concerned; and! Manukau will be called Onehunga ia future for the same reason.