THE PERMISSIVE BILL.

Evening Star, Issue 2840, 26 March 1872, Page 2

THE PERMISSIVE BILL.

The Permissive Bill has not been lost sight of by the Colonial press, In an excellent article upon the subject in the New Zea and Herald the bill itself, and the rights of the persons mostly to be affected by its operation have been carefully analysed, and in temperate language the Herald warns us that we must make up our minds to meet the demands of the publicans in a fair and reasonable spirit. Should that not be done, the passing of a workable bill will be very problematical. It may, however, be urged by the ultra-Per-missive Bill men that the claim of the beer and spirit license holders to compensation is not a good one ; that the license is only for one year ; that its renewal may be refused by the magistrates; and that a license may be forfeited through the misconduct of the licensee during its currency. All this is true; and it is equally true thatthe Licensing Bill which is before thd New Zealand public does not propose, to-, deal with vested interests. It simply provides checks to the granting and renewal of licenses. That is, it does not in any way alter the position of a licensed publican during the currency of. his license. It says, however, that greater strictness shall be exercised in granting new licences. If it proposed arbitrarily to shut up a certain number of public houres lu auy oue district, that would be ano lxer matter. The publicans affected would have a right to ask compensation for breach of contract, but as the bill is simply in* tended to impose fresh conditions on the part of the (State, in consideration of which it is willing to grant a trade monopoly for a limited period, we sea no ground for complaint by the licensee. He knows the conditions beforehand,.. and if he. does not like them he is under no compulsion to apply for a license. So far, : we think the advocates of the Permissive Bill, as it is called, are strictly in the right; but we must deal with men and things as we find them, and we have in those engaged in the liquor traffic, directly or indirectly, a great politi* cal force. How strong it may be we are not prepared to say ; but it.is strong and active enough, we have no doubt, to throw ob* stacles in the way of the Licensing Bill auffl* cient to peril its existence.