NEW ENGLISH LICENSING BILL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12989, 2 June 1904, Page 2

NEW ENGLISH LICENSING BILL

A SCHEME OF COMPENSATION.

(FnoM Our 0v?» Correspondent.) LONDON, April 23. Three days a.50 Mr Akers-Dougln-s, as Home Secretary, introduced, 011 behalf of the Government, the measure which, after long and ffarncft delibriition, liad been decided upon -by tlie Cabinet as t-lio most feasible, and cciivenisnt mode of dealing with the vexed quest-ion o[ the liquor trade. Tho pur-port of the new Licensing Bill has bcoit very lucidly ;>ml succinctly summarked as follows:—"The bill lecoguKcs that, whatever be Iho. exact legal (Winilion of a nuhlican'* status, that which is rated a-i properly, taxed as properly dur-'.ig hi* lift, and liiai'e .',uhj<ct lo tlio death duties w'.ien he dies, must in equity be treated as property when the Slalo v.'i.-fe to dis-poi-i'ss liirn. Ponr.ltiC'S for niimiiidue! rcmaiu exactly as the:;,- are. hut the hill picvides thai, when a ivnewal of a license is refused upon public ground.; t" a inau.who ha-, not forfeited it by misconduct, Ik- shall receive compcasittiori i-.iloulak'd' upon I lip fame basis as tin , death dnlio' wliieh would bo exacted from hi> heir, if ho died , in possession o( tin , liceii'C. It proposes fiuihor, Ih'jt the compensation fund shall be provided by a lax upon ;ill the publichouscV in Hip district, to be locally raised anil administi'red under uniform rukvi drawn up by a, central body. Thus Ilia individual i> compensated while iho "trade" is not; ,-m arrangement which ?.wm.'. to givo equitable consideration to the fact that, while Hie individual has Iron induced to iuvr-t. his capital upon faith in fhe r-cci-tinuily of public policy, thp mcnopoly as a whole is nnr--which has grown up irrrjularly and by public oversight.' .

'Sir Henry C'ninpbnll-Banmu'ivan mico nioie displsycxt his curious ini'ptiliidn ami out-of-Iciii'lnip i.«i alike witli Ilii' Honsi , and wiili liis own (alleged) parly, )>y promptly anliounoinjj ilint ho and his party, would giyn "tho mo.-t slrcniioii? opposition to t!ip liill .it evt'iy stage." lie olyrctod (1) lo I|h> licciijo-rcnnwnl powers lioiiig trntisfcrrcd from llio local iiugisti'at'.vs to Ilic ipiarier «i!:!?ions; (2) to aiiylhina which jjavf Hie licwisep a vested interest in hi" license; (SI io iinj- comppiivstioii mil of publin funih lo liconsoos dispn.ssos.'p[l a; :-up_M , lliiom\v. But Mr Ealfmir piompllv lnilvnriscd llipsc ccnl™iioii=, as wi'll as <i(hcr>- liy diH'm-nt spsakors, which had evidently ken pro-

pare;! in ignorance of tiio mature <if Iho coining bill. The Premier pointed out that the Qu?.rU>r Sessions constituted the prt-sent Convl- of Appeal, mid only the iiU-trmedlale i'Utliorjiy would b.» removed, while compc];sntioii u'onl<l ho paid to ilisiiof-res-ed publicans only out of a . hv.\i viilually sub l scribed by the publicans who wore loft in possession.

But Air TJalfour's most effective point was his answer on the vested interest question. "How can you, Ihe Liberal parly, possibly object with any consistency to the publicans' vested interest in their licenses being recognised," ho said in effect, "scpinu that your town Government recognised publicans' liosiii'cs as property for the purposes of the death duties and for other nurpa-os of taxation? You can't have it lioth ways. Tf you make licenses properly in order to levy taxes on their value, you must do .'o also if for.tho public benefit, you disiMS-es* iho owner." Or, in the words previously quoted: That which i.> rated as properly, taxed as property during his life, and mads subject to the deafc'.i duller when ho dies, must in equity bo treated as properly when ths State wishes to dispossess him. This reasoning impressed the llou=e very slrongiy, and whim a. division was taken the Government scored, more than double their normal majority, beating Sir Henry Camp-bell-Uanncnraiii .and liis tupposed followers l>y tlifl handsome balnnco of 107—more than, two to one. Sα much for Campbell-Banner-man's command over his "followers" (';). who would joiiti' him in rmsling the bill "at every stage"! Either Im was a dreadfully bad prophet; irf elso ha must be a, singularly feeble- leader. . Can lie by any chance be both?