THE LICENSING BILL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12122, 2 August 1895, Page 2

THE LICENSING BILL.

• — THE NEW GO VERNMENT MEASUBE WHAT ITS PBOVISIONS ABE. The Bill introduced by the Premier to amend the Alcoholic Liquors Sales Control Act is divided into two parts. Past I. . Part -L, relating to the licensing poll, will net come into operation until the day before the next general election. Tho ' fi.Bl. matter provided for ia how the poll is to be taken. Four questions ' are to be submitted to electors, viz : — (1) Whether the. number of licenses existing in the district is to continue.'' (2) Whether the number of licenses existing in the district is to be reduced. (3) Whether no licenses are to be granted in the district. (4) Whether no liceqees are to be granted in the colony. lhe licensing polls, are to be takes on the day and at the same time as tha general election polling. Each voter is to be supplied with two voting papers, one for the licensing poll, the other for the electoral poll. Voters may vote on 'any one or two of the questions submitted to them on the licensing ballot paper. Separate ballot boxen are to be provided at the polling booth, but in case ' of voters in mistake putting a licensing voting paper in the electoral ballot box, such mistake shall afterward! be corrected by the poll clerk," -and votes so recorded shall not bs informal. Tfcin voting papers for the licensing pell ore to be different in colour to the ballot papers for the electoral poll. If the voter fails to strike out at least two of the proposals on the licensing ballotrmper, the pdper will be .oiJ. ' r -- If at any timo Parliament is diseolved before it haß been two years in existence, then no licencing poll will be taken at tbe general election following such dissolution, but tbe existing state of things will continue until the general election succeeding the dissolution of this new Parliament. ... . Tbe remit of the licensing poll is to be - decided as follow?:— On thßTruestionS (1) of the number of lioenseß in a district -existing as at present, and (2) whether the number of licenses shall be reduced, an absolute majority of the .voleß re« corded will decide these questions. On . questions -(3) local prohibition' and (4) colonial prohibition, a three-firths majorfty of the votes recorded will be necessary to give effect to these < In any district where prohibition bes already been carried, a three-fifths majority will be required to reverse 'this decision, and likewise in case 'of colonial prohibition.' ' Jf the voting be in favour of a reduction of the, licenses existing in a district, the Lic_i_Bing Committee sh°ll at its first annual meeting after the licensing poll, reduce tho number of licenses by not less than 6 per cent, nor mote than 25 per cent, of the total* number, 'of licenses, in the district, exclusive of 'licenses forfeited .by law.. Those licenses, whioh have been endorsed for broaches of the law in respeot of Felling liquor to children, female aboriginal native?, drunken persons, Sunday trading, kc, are to be the first to be - reduced, those' -hou.es with little or no lodging accommodation going next. If local prohibition be c_rried,no licenses shall be renewed- in the district. In case of colonial prohibition boing carried, it will take effect on the March 31st after the -expiration of 12 months from the day on which the licensing poll was taken and such determination arrived at. From and. after that date, except aa stated below, it will _>c unlawful to import into or manufaoture liquor in the colony, and no chemist, druggist, or any other person shell soil any spiritous, distilled or fermented liquor for me-iioinal purposes except in such form as renders it unfit for us; as a beverage. The Customs authorities are to 4)8 ibe only persons allowed to import liquor, and they are to dispense it only for.medicinal use, or for use in the arts and manufactures. The Government may appoint chemists whose names are on the Pharmaceutical Register of New Zealand to be Customs officers under the Department of Customs for purposes of the preceding Beotion, and determine tbe remuneration for theirservices as such. No such remuneration shall be in the form of profit from tbe sale of the aforesaid liquor nor commission upon the quantity sold, nor shall any profit or commission be received by any. such chemist. The stock of liquors held by such chemiste shall bo received by them from time to time from the Department of Custom?, made up in quantities .and labelled nnd sealed, and every ench chemist shall from time to time, as may be required of him, give account to the Department- pf Customs of his disposal of the liquors so held by him. Special Customs officers may be appointed te detect breaches of the Aot. Colonial option shall remain in force until reversed at a succeeding poll. If such a reversal ." occur licenses ' shall be issued in the different districts to the extent ot not less than 5C per cent, of the . different kinds of licences existing in tne district at the time Prohibition came into force. Pabt 11. The second part of the Bill provides miscellaneous amendments of the liconsing law. - Members of both Houses are to deoide at the begining of each new Parliament whether liquor is to be sold at Bellamy's — an absolute majority to decide. . Club charters are to be subject to the results of the licensing poll, and in case of a " redaction " being carried, no now club charter shall be granted in that district so long as " reduction " remains in force.' No liquor shall be sold at any club at hours wben it may not be sold on any licensed premises. No charter shall be granted for a club in premises in respect of which a club charter has been revoked or a pub. lican's license has been taken away or forfeited. Clubs mny be proceeded against in the ordinary way for breaches of the Acr. No license to sell liquor at a railway refreshment room shall be granted in a Prohibition district. The cost of the committee elections and the administrations of such committees is to be paid by the Weal authorities. •' - ' Thore shall be no increase in the' number of licenses in any district unle.g l tt_p population increases by lo p.r cent , and then only in cases of "No license " not being carried. The increase in licenses mu.t not exceed one license for every seven hundred of such inorease in population. . No new bottle or wine licenses are to bo granted after the passing of this Act, and all licenses then in force "will lapse after the next licensing poll. In case of a failure to elect a committee the Stipendiary Magistrate for the district shall act as suoh until the next periodical election. The Licensing Aot of 1881 is amended in several respects. A wholesale license under that Act permitted the Balo of liquor in quantities not lesß than two gallons. The present authorises the sale of spirits and wine in that quantity, but makes the minimum quantity of malt liquors four gallons. _.urth»rmoro, it provides that uo wholesale licenses shall

be issued in a Prohibition district. Section 97 of the Aot of 1881, whioh provides that appliction may be made (and granted) for the removal of a license from one houßfc to another in the sime licensing district, is amended by substituting for tha words "licensing district" the following words :— " Undivided borougb, or ward of a divided boiougb, or town district, or riding of a oouncy, or road district, being in no case further than five miles by the nearest road from such licensed premises" This doeß away with a possibility of a reciirrsnc of the Levin case. . ... Seotion 166 of tbe Act of 1881 ia re : pealed and another substituted, having the effect of preventinK lodgers or travellers ''shouting" drinks for others who may be in a hotel on a Sunday. Tbe definition of a traveller is aleo altered to that of a person who has slept the night previous at least five miles from the hotel at which he applies for lefreshment, the five being substituted for three... Further protection is provided for owners of hotel property by eaabling them to evict any tenant against whom a conviction under the Licensing Act has been recorded. After snob eviction the owner of the property may apply to have the conviction endorsed on the license for ihe premises removed. Any persons rolling liquor to any male aboriginal nativo, who is in a state of intoxication, or sells, or in any way gives or supplies, or allows to be sold, given, or supplied, any liquor to any female aboriginal native whomsoever, is made liable to a penalty of not less than £2 nor more thin £10. Prohibited persons make themselves liable to a penalty of £10 by entei ing any licensed premises, and so does any person accompanying or procuring drink for them. Seotion 21 of the Aot of 1893 is made " clear, and is' not to be constructed to aff act or to have affected Jhe pesition of the licenses, or any proceedings taken regarding them, in the Licensing Districts of Addingtoo, Newtown and - ydenbam East, which were constituted under the principal Aot. The Bee?' Doty Aot of 1880 1. amended to that the smallest quantity of liquot to be sold by brewers iB four instead of two B auonß . -