LICENSING BILL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1933, 16 December 1913, Page 4

LICENSING BILL.

REDUCTION OF MAJORITY. Tiie Licensing Amendment Bill, which tlio J. rime Minister has promised shall bo_proceeded v/ith next session, was circulated among members of the House of tieprescntatives hist night, ilO ' s thi'oo opofati?® clauses only. Clause 2 provides that the majonty re-mnred to carry National Prohiortionshall ho 55 per emit.. instead of three-fifths, which iiieniss that the excess of votes required to carry a proposal is reduced by half. Tlic* Kamo clause provides that tlio majority to restore licences to a prohibition district shall al&o bo reduced from "three-fifths" to "55 per cent." Section 3 deals with the employment of unregistered barmaids, and seeks to coroct tVm w-iccl. iti the present law iib a result of which the employment of unregistered barmaids iu private bars is' not- illegal. The present law as declared in the Act of 1910 sets forth that "n0,., female shall bo employed iu any capacity inor about the bar of any licensed pre-' miso-s at any time while the bar is open, for tlio sale of liquor." Tlio clause in the new Bill proposes to delete the words "wliile the bar is onen for the solo of lirnior," and substituting the words, "while tho licensed premises are lawfully open for the sale of liquor to the public." This seems to mean that unregistered barmaids may not be employed iu any bars, public or private. The fourth clause repeals tbn schedule which ureseribas the form of the voting paper for the issue of National Prohibition, and another schedule is substituted. Tho voting lines now are:—. "I vote for National Continuance." "I vote for National' Prohibition." Under tlio stylo at Inst mill the first line was "I vote against National Prohibition," and it was said that it led to somo confusion."