A NEW LICENSING BILL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1085, 25 March 1911, Page 5

A NEW LICENSING BILL.

. -j MEASURE TO-BE PUSHED ON • . WITH. By Telegraph—Press Assoeiation-Oopyrieht (Rec. March 24, 11.30 p.m.) London, March 24. t Mr. Asquith stated in tho House of Commons that a Licensing Bill on the lines of the 1908 Bill would be an urgent measure this session, and wciild he introduced immediately after the' Parliament Bill had been passed. In explaining the Licensing Bill of 1908, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said its object was to provide for the compulsory reduction, within a specified period, of the number of on-licenses upon a uniform scalo operating throughout the country and based-upon a ratio between licenses and population. As - the basis of their scale, they had adopted density of population, or- the number of persons per acre. Where there were two persons or less per acre they proposed that the on-licenses should not exceed 6ne to 400 persons; from two to 25 per acre, one to 500 persons; from 25 to 50 per acre, one to 600; from 50 to 75, ono to 700; from 75 to 100, one to 800; from 100 to 200, one to- 900; and where there were more than 200 persons per acre, one liconse to 1000 persons. The suggested sehome would lead to the suppression of from 30,000 to 32,000 on-licenses,- or rathen more than one-third of ■ tho whole num-' ber. It would bo. the duty of every licensing authority to prepare by an early date a . scheme for carrying out the statutory reduction in its own district. The schemes of the authorities might be. revised, and would be sent to a central Licensing Commission for approval. When a scheme was approved, it would be tho duty of the licensing authority to select licenses for extinction. power of redti(JHoii"' r would' ' continueto exist concurrently , with this duty of statutory reduction. The Bill restored to the licensing authorities tho discretion which was taken from them in ISO! .with regard to tho renewal, repeal, and transfer of all existing on-licenses; and there were special provisions for Wales, where opinion was more advanced -than here. •_ Compensation for the extinction of licenses during the statutory, period would be provided, but it would continue to come from a levy on the trade. The area of the levy would cover. England and Wales, and the fund would be .vested in a-central authority. The Bill also contained numerous other nrovisions with regard to clubs, new licenses, Sunday closing, etc. It was passed by the House of Commons but rejected by the House of Lords.