LICENSING MATTERS

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 908, 5 June 1903, Page 3

LICENSING MATTERS

* Per Press Associati iq. Palmerston North, last night. Tho no-heunse conference resumed today. Speaking of Uiu irregularities of Hie local option poll, Air A. it Atkinson said that tho recent upsetting of the Newtown and Br'ucu elections proved that there was needed some higher authoritative and mure independent man than a magistrate to hoar the eases. The following resolution was carried :T'nul wnereus the verdict of tho people recorded for no license by tho necessary three tilths majority in ijrdce and Newtown has been upset upon grounds which related solely to default ol officials conducting tho pulls, and;, had nothing to uo with the merits ot toe question at issue, and would equally have invalidated any election ever bold, be it resolved that the present procedure for enquiry into tnc results of the local option poll should be forthwith amended so that no pull shall be upset unless it bo shown tiiao, but fur proved irregularities the result would have been different, and that in the event of any poll being declared void a mow poll shall immediately thereupon be taken in tho district concerned.” Llosolutions were also passed against tho extension of timo between tiio taking of the local option poll ; in favor of temperance teaching in schools, and thanking the Government for iluiug what they could to make the no license poll effective by refusing iu charter clubs and closing tho railway .vetroslnuont looms at Ashburton. At a public meeting in the evening a was carried to thoclfect that tho conference regretted that tho liquor party had (A-oii enabled to upset by means of legal tccbuioalit-ios the will of the people at two places, and requesting Parliament to take immediuto stops to safeguard tho decisions so pronounced and to euablo tho fato of tho liquor traffic to be decided on its merits.

Dunedin, lust night. At thu Temperance Alliaucu Convention it was rcsolved in future Co meet on Juno Hi-d. I'no balauco-shoct showed a dcticioucy of iNdO. Tho Van. Archdeacon Williams (To Auto Collogo) was elected president, and the llovs. J. Dajvson and A. li. Atkinson uiomhors of tho Executive. .In tile afternoon cue itov. P. D. Eraser ouve an address on tho position in ifruco. It was resolved that this convention affirm the right of tho eieotors of Eruce to have tho results of tho poll on tho 25th November secured to thorn, notwithstanding tho reversal of tho poll on technical grounds ; that it is tho duty of tho Government to p,oe (hat tho people's vote taken under tho Act of Parliament ho givon full effect to, and Chat the Government be requested to have legislation passed for tiiat ; urposo in accordance with tho declaration of Mr fcjedJuu as reported in the telegraphic nows from Wellington. Mr A. S. Adams read a paper on uur legislative needs. The four demands characterised as urgent wore to the following effect (a) No poll shall bo declared invalid or void unless it is shown that hut for proved irregularities

tho result would have boon different—in other words, that the result of tho poll does not express tho real will of tho electors ; (b) for a new poll where tho lirst or subsequent poll is declared void ; (c) repeal oi ejection ffO of Section 1 of tho Alcoholic Liquors Salo Control Act, 1895, which provides that no pull shall be valid in any district in which no electoral poll is taken unless half of tho voters on tho roll voto; (d) making any officer committing or permitting irregularities responsible and subject to substantial penalties. Tneso resuiutlonsfwero unanimously approved to form a basis of a Bill to come beforo Parliament next session. At the mooting of tho Waikouaiti Licensing Committee to-day, reduction having been carried giving tho committee power to ciuso four hotels, the applications for licouics for tho Palmerston Hotel and Evansdalo Hotel were refused. In the caso of tho Empire Hotel, Palmerston, tho license oi which is endorsed for Sunday trading, die application for retail license was withdrawn with a view of putting in an application for a new license. A number oi other applications were adjourned, and from these the two additional licenses to be closed will be selected. It is possible that if tho application for tho Empire cannot bo granted, that five instead of four will get closed.

Auckland, last night. The Grey Lynn Licensing Committee in consequence of the reduction vote at tho licensing poll cancelled the license of the Arch Hill Hotel, leaving only ono hotel in tho district. Wellington, last night. At the Whangarei Mnrsdcn Licensing Committee’s annual meeting tho application for the Grahauistown accommodation license was withdrawn. Tho Ngunguru Hotel accommodation license application was adjourned until 25th Juno to permit of the application being niado in (mother name than Angels, tho present licensee. All the other applications were granted.

Wanganui, last night. The chairman and members of tho Wanganui Licensing Committee were today served with notice that tho Supreme Court will bn asked on tho 17tli inst. to quash the wholesale lieonso Granted by tho committee on the 3rd April last to Messrs Turnbull and Co., on the ground that tho grunting oi such a license increased the • lumber of licenses in the district contrary jo section 1-1 of “ The Alcohol Liquors Act, 1893.” It is said that if tho license j d quashed all increases of licenses since the Act oi 1895 must share a similar fate.