THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. TUESDAY, 14th JULY, 1903. COMPENSATION.

Southland Times, Issue 19098, 14 July 1903, Page 2

THE Southland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. TUESDAY, 14th JULY, 1903. COMPENSATION.

The subject of compensation for nonrenewal of license recently came up for discussion in the British House of Commons, when the Licensing Law Bill was passed on its second reading. The proposal, the majority agreed, is a just and equitable one — to provide for compensation in all j cases in which licenses are suppressed for reasons other than the misconduct of the license-holder. No me can deny that the renewal of licenses while the applicant was of good character was, until the Prohibition agitation came prominently before the public, so customary and usual that this usage had in the course of years come to be regarded as approximating to positive law. and the total abolition of the traffic was not j regarded as being within the rangu of possibilities until recent years. It may perhaps be argued that nowadays if a new tenant sinks his money in a hotel, he do?s so with his eyes open, he knows the risk lie runs, though from the strictly logical point of view it is doubtful if even that objection is tenable. But owing to this risk of having his license suppressed and of being thus practically ruined, it is but rarely that a new tenant makes a decent offer, and consequently those who now have their little all invested in hotel property cannot retire from thp j business except at a loss that is next door to ruination. There is nothing inherently immoral in selling liquor, and when the community decides it to be for it& own benefit that certain landlords should be deprived of their means of livelihood, while in many | cases those means of livelihood had the community's sanction at the time they were adopted, all the considerations of equity and justice urge that compensation should be provided. The fund for compensation could be established in several ways Even if tho public were unwilling to | compensate the loss sustained by their mandate the money could bo made a charge upon the revenue con- i tributions of the trade itself, as i. v proposed in Britain, perhaps through increased taxes on liquor and license fees. A solatium provided by tho trade for the trade is a principle to which no just objection can be urged, and it is to be hoped that Parliament, which has hitherto shirked the question, will give its attention at an early dn<te to remedying what is undoubtedly an injustice. Of courso this is only one part of the broader licensing question about which Mi Seddon has said a great deal that may mean much or little, but which he has for years avoided as a treacherous quag bristling with danger signals. Those danger signals are more prominent than ever, and, in spite of his much speaking, we shall be surprised if the Premier makes any sincere effort to submit comprehensive licensing proposals to tho House. It will have been noticed from our Parliamentary reports that there aro iat present before the House several [petitions for compensation from Invercftrgill, but it is m the highest degree improbable that they will meet with favourable consideration. The Government cannot listen to isolated petitioners ; for to da so would be a very uncertain and uneven method of dispensing justice. What iw necessary is legislation dealing with the broad question, and introducing a scheme for creating a compensation fund. It should not be difficult to provide a workable system. And we hope that the effect of these petitions coming before Parliament will be to compel the Legislature and the Government to consider a question that they have not been bold enough to approach on their own initiative,