BOUNDARIES AND LICENSES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1206, 15 August 1911, Page 6

BOUNDARIES AND LICENSES.

WHAT MAY HAPPEN. Owing to (lie fact that the electoral districts aro also the licensing districts, a number of hotels in various parts of tlio country may be closed as the- result of the changes in the boundaries of clectoratcs. When part of one of the now districts is under license and part under NoLicense tho issues aro submittal nt Ilia poll according to whether more than- half the population is under license or NoLicense. In tho former ease, the issues aro Continuance and No-License, in tho latter Restoration and No-License, and ill either a.change can only be oUccted by a three-fiftlis majority. It follows that hotels situated in any area which is added to a neighbouring No-Licenso district will mil a serious risk of being deprived of their licenses. In this way the hotels at Porirua and l'ahautanui may lose their . licenses through being transferred from thoOtaki to tho Suburbs electorate. On tho other hand, the Grosvcnor Hotel and the Star and Garter, which were in the "dry" district of Wellington South, aro now to bo m Wellington Central, and licenres may be applied for. The position is similar in regard to the Esplanade Hotel," transferred from Suburbs to Wellington North. Several other instances uro mentioned in the review of the, electoral changes on another pago of this issue.