A LICENSING POLL BILL.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 914, 12 September 1907, Page 22

A LICENSING POLL BILL.

During the discussion which took place over tariff duties in the House of Representatives last week, the Government suffered something in the nature of a defeat over the item of duty on mining machinery. With the possibility of d’ssolution in the air, the Government made a counter-move, when a Bill, deal’ng with licensing polls, was introduced by message from His Excellency the Governor. . At present the law is that if an election is held within two years from the

date of the previous election, no local option poll is taken until the following election. The new 811 provides that if at any time Parliament is dissolved before it has been two years in existence, a licensing poll shall be taken at the next general election thereafter, notwithstanding anything to the contrary .n the Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act Amendment Act, 1895 ; but the operation of such poll shall be suspended until the day when the Parliament so dissolved would otherwise have expired by effluxion of time, and such poll shall take effect accordingly as if taken on that day, unless it has been aiready superseded by a subsequent poll. Until the poll so suspended in its operation takes effect in accordance with this Act, or is so superseded, the poll in force at the time of the taking of such first-mentioned poll shall continue 'n full force and operation. Sub-section 2 of section 4 of the Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act Amendment Act, 1895, is to be repealed. The Bill also deals with a difficulty in connection with the change to single electorates in the four c’ties. It is proposed to constitute the three electoral districts in each city the electoral district in such city. The above-mentioned electoral districts are the districts as defined by the North and South Island Representaton Commissions, which will come into effect on the expiration of the present Parliament.