THE COLONIST. Published Daily—Mornings. Nelson, Wednesday, December 13,1893. THE NEW LICENSING LAW.

Colonist, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7812, 13 December 1893, Page 3

THE COLONIST. Published Daily — Mornings. Nelson, Wednesday, December 13, 1893. THE NEW LICENSING LAW.

Dueing the recent elections a very great deal of discussion took place relative to the Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act, which became law last session, and it was very evident that a considerable deal of misapprehension existed on the parj; of some of those who spoke about this measure. Briefly put I the law provides for the elecion of a Licensing Committee, so that the people may be directly I represented on the Licensing Bench as of old, I but for the future the Resident Magistrate having jurisdiction atlbe place of meeting of the Committee is to act with the eight elected members, and he is to be chairman oi the Committee. It also provides that the licensing districts shall be precisely the sam c as the existing electoral districts, and that all those whose names remain on the electoral rolls shall have the right of voting as to whether the existing licenses shall be renewed, whether 'they shall be reduced, or whether they shall tfor the future be refused. E aoh voter will have to vote against two of these proposals or his paper will be invalid, that is to say he or she may vote for the retention of licenses, or may vote against them | in the latter case he or she may elect to vote for a mere reduction in number or for the extinction of such licenses, but in the event of his or her taking the latter course and the number so voting proving to be in the minority specified, the votes so recorded are to be added to those in favor of a reduction in number. In order to prohibit the trade a three-fifths majority is neoessary, and more than half the available voters must go to the ballot. It has been alleged that under the Electoral Act only those who exercised their right of voting at the late election will have the privilege of voting under the Liquor Control Act in Maroh next, but it appears to us that under the 22nd and 47th clauses of the Electoral Act thi3 contention is at least open to question. But, however that may be, the interest in the whole question is pretty certain to induce more than a bare majority of voters to go to the poll and deolare their desires as to tfie continuation or otherwise of licenses. We have said that some misapprehension evidently existed as to the measure whioh has cow superseded the former law on the subject, and in proof of this we may sta'.e that some of the extremists on the abolition gicle were vehement in their condemnation of the provision whioh makes electoral and licensing districts ooterminous. Now, as a matter of fact, the provision in this direction wao actually taken by the (government from the Bill drafted by Messrs Martin and Bichmond for the New Zealand Alliance, and in view of this fact, it is surely ungrateful for those who urged the passing of the Bill thus prepared to object to one of its leading provisions, Indeed, the ntw law is based on the proposals of the New Zealand Alliance, although certain provisions have been embodied with a view to prevent a Bnatoh victory being seonred by the extremists. That such provisions were judicious has been widely acknowledged, and er-n some of the strongest advocates on the eiie of the abstainers admit tba Blue harm than good might result, from prohibition in advaneeof the popular desire* As we have indicated

the people wi?l have to record their desite3 in March next, and when looal option is carried out to this rx-enti.'it will surely ba time enough to j :dge whotbAr or not the prr3> ni Act falls short of the tiwinjnds of tin mßjori'y.