The Akaroa Mail, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1882. THE LICENSING ACT AMENDMENT ACT.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 666, 1 December 1882, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1882. THE LICENSING ACT AMENDMENT ACT.

This Amendment Act contains many important provisions, that it were well were generally understood, ami as the presmt i.s about tho time of the quarterly licensing meetings, we take lids opportunity of reviewing it. Clause 2 provides that tho Governor may alter or abolish districts—a very wise provision, as many changes are re-juuvd. Clause 3 gi-s

power to the Governor to amalgamate two or more licensing districts, on receipt of a petition signed by a majority of the ratepayers in the districts a Heeled. This section does not apply to boroughs or town districts. Clause 5 has several sub-sections. It provides for the local body having jurisdiction appointing the returning officer, and gives amended provisions as to holding licensing meet-ing-i, sub-sections 5 and G being as follows :—• ■'o.'The Returning Officer appointing tho lime for the holding of licensing meetings shall also appoint the place, not, being lit en aed premises, at which such meetings shall be respectively held ; but if there be in the district any pla c used as a courthouse by the Resident Magistrate having jnris.iiclion in tbe district, then such meeting shall be held at such courthouse." '•6. The places at which licensing ineeti::j£s are held need not necessarily be within the limits of the licensing district to which such meetings relate, if such meetings can bo more conveniently, and no less effectually, held outside of such limits."

Sub-section 9 of this sth clause is also important. It runs as follows :—

;< 9. Whenever a license is lawfully granted at any time other than at the animal licensing meeting, such license shall continue in force only until the thirtieth day of Ju c ensuing next after the granting thereof, and the fee to be paid for such license shall be a proportionate part of the fee payable in respect of an annual license of the same kind."

Clauses G, 7, and 8 simply provide for the annual election of assessors for Native licensing districts.

Clause 9 is, however, a more important one to us. It says :—

An extension of time for the sale of liquors until eleven o'clock at night may be granted by any Licensing Committee under the provisions of sectioirthirty-scven of the siid Act. on payment by the licensee of an additional fee of five pounds for the Si me."

This is certainly a return to the old system, nnd, in our opinion, s ia good clans ■. Shutting at ten o'clock, before aniusem uts were over, or people cared to leave their friends' houses, was very awkward for visitors at a place who left their horses, or had to stop at, an hotel, and, like all unreasonable provisions in Acts, led to the frequent breaking of the law. On the other hand, most Licensing Committees objected to granting midnight licenses. Eleven o'clock, the medium hour, is decidedly tho best, and we are glad to sec that the option is given to the publican, by paying an extra £5 per annum, of keeping his house open to that time. Tho 10th clause provides that it shall only be necessary to advertise the annual licensing meeting in June, and not all the quarterly meetings, as heretofore. Clause 11 states that quarterly licensing meetings cm be dispensed with " within districts where there arc no licensed premises," or " where the ratepayers h .ye declared that no licenses shall be granted therein." " W here the ratepayers have declared that licenses may be granted therein, it shall not be necessary to hold any quarterly licensing meeting- previous to the annual meeting to be held next after such decision is given." Clauses 12 and 13 provide that Iho local body having jurisdiction shall appoint the presiding oUlcer at any poll of ratepayers, and shall pay all the ex penses of such poll.

The 14th clause docs away witli the necessity (insisted on in the former Act) of advertising applications for the renewal of licenses. Clause 15 makes the following provisions : —

" In any place or district whore, owing to a sudden increase of population or otherwise, the nc:eosity for the immediate grant of publicans' licenses exists, the Governor may appoint some person or persons to exercise a special authority in the granting of such licenses, and shall define the limits within which such authority may be exercised. The persons so appointed may hear and determine at any time applieatiousfor publicans' licenses in respect of premises situate within such limits as aforesaid. The license to bo granted in the first instance under the provisions of this section shall bo a conditional icense, but the same tee shall be paid for the s une as for a publican's license. No license granted under the provisions of ihissection shall be renewed or transferred ; but it shdl b>. necessary for the licensee, in respect of the following year, to apply for a publican's license to the Licensing Committee of the district at the annual licencing meeting held in the month of June, in the s-iinc manner a;; ir he were not a licensed person."

Clause 16 provides that a temporary transfer of a license is to be registered. The remaining two cl arses, respecting the application of fee,- and the valida'ing of licenses in Ohinemuri, are not specially interesting to tSio residents here.

Such it; a brief sketch of the Amendment Act, which we think a very useful one in many respects, doing away with '(he unnecessary expenses which had to be incurred under the Licensing Act of I Sol. If. is probable that the amendments will make tho present iaw on the matter more palatable to tho. majority of tiie ratepayers than it ha*- been for some time past.