Particulars of the Bill

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXII, Issue 12452, 30 April 1908, Page 5

Particulars of the Bill

Its Chief Points.

When the Licensing Bill was first introduced in the House of Commons Mr Asquith stated that everyone would agree that effective reform of the licensing laws was long overdue. By effective reform he meant the immediate and progressive reduction of the excessive facilities allowed for the retail sale of alcohol. By effective reform he also meant the gradual and complete recovery, with due regard to existing interests, by the State of its dominion over and property in a monopoly which had been improvidently allowed to slip out of its control. Mr Asquith said the Government proposed to provide for the compulsory reduction within a specified period of a number of "on" licenses in the country, on a uniform scale, on the basis of the ratio between licenses and population. The ratio would be on the recommendation of the minority report of the Peel Commission. Mr Aequith said the basis of reduction would be the density of the population or the number of persons per acre. It was estimated that the Government scheme would lead to the suppression of from 30,000 to 32,000 "on" licenses, or one-third of the whole. Mr Asquith said that every licensing authority would be required at an early date to prepare a scheme to carry out the statutory reductions, according to ratio, in their district, and submit the scheme for approval to the Central Licensing Commission. The power of optional reduction would be vested in the authority, to whom would be restored the discretion taken away by the Act of 1904, and the provisions of the Act vesting powers in Quarter Sessions would be repealed. Licenses, the renewal of which was refused on the ground of redundancy, would be given compensation, but no change would be made in the source from which compensation was made. The area of levy would cover the whole of England and Wales, and a national fund would be created vested in the central authority. In Wales the voters would have power to declare whether reduction in the number of licenses beyond the statutory amount should be made, and, if so, further reductions could be made if the existing levy gave sufficient funds for the purpose. The amount payable for compensation would be only such a sum as would purchase an immediate annuity for the unexpired years of the reduction period. The Bill would provide that the annual value of the licenses would be taken to be the sum by which the actual annual value of the licensed premises exceeded the amount which tho Commissioner determined should be the annual value if the premises were not relicensed. The time limit would be 14 years. The State ought, on every ground of policy, to recover possession, as early as possible, of the monopoly value with which it should never have parted. The expenses of the new Commission would be paid out of the Central Compensation Fund. The Government had decided to retain tho licensing jurisdiction in the hands of the Justices. In the largo boroughs the licensing Justices would exercise their powers through the Borough Licensing Committee, increased from three to seven. There would be no appeal to the Quarter Sessions. Where a decision of the Justices was appealed against the Court should order the local treasurer to pay to the justices .a sum to indemnify him in costs. Mr Asquith said the Bill conferred power on the -parochial elector in every licensing district to make requisition signed by not less than one-tenth of the inhabitants against the issue of new licenses , if they do not desire them. A justice license would be required for every excise license. All clubs must stand on the same footing. Registration of such bodies to be renewed annually. Police to visit all clubs. Sunday closing to be extended to Monmoizth. In England, outside the metropolis, public houses would be open on Sunday not more than one hour in the middle of the day or two in the evening. The Bill also dealt with the exclusion of children from publichouses; the closing of houses on polling days; employment of barmaids, all of which were left to the discretion of Justices.