The New Licensing Bill.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 48, 22 August 1894, Page 2

The New Licensing Bill.

IMPORTANT PROPOSALS. " The new Licensing Bill, which was circulated last evening, is a consoli dating as well as an amending measure. Railway refreshment, bottle, and New Zealand wine licenses are abolished. Wholesale and packet licenses are to be issned only at quarterly meetings of committees. . Wholesale licenses only authorise the sale of two gallons of spirits and five gallons of beer. , ■■ A, ;/ ; It is provided that nothing in. section 21 of last year's Act shall be constructed to affect or to have affected a suit pending or initiated in a Court of law before the commencement of that Act. ■ ■ .. .. ...- ; : Committees are to be composed, ex officio, of magistrates, mayors of boroughs, and chairmen of town boards, county councils, road boards, education boards, harbour boards, and hospital and charitable aid trustees. No licenses are to be issued in a Native licensing district where prohibition is in force. No liquor shall be sold at any club after the hours that hotels are closed. No charter for a new club shall be granted to premises for which a charter or hotel license has been revoked, or in a district where prohibition is carried. The local option poll is to be taken at the same time as the genera) election. The poll is to be void if less than one-fourth of the total electors on the roll, exclusive of informal votes, are recorded, A bare majority carries; reduction, and a three-fifths majority' prohibition. The reduction provided is not less than five per cent, and not more than twenty-five per cent, of the total licenses. If three-fifths of the total votes in the colony favor prohibition 'then no licenses shall be granted in any part of the Colony after twelve months from the date of the poll, while the importation and manufacture of liquor is prohibited. The revenue lost by the reduction of licenses may be mads up by an increase of general rates. The cost of the poll is to be borne by Government, but the expense of the administration by the local bodies. Photographs of prohibited persona may be served on hotelkeepere on the order of ths Magistrate, at the expense of such persons. The Minister of Justice is substituted for the Colonial Secretary as Minister in charge of the Act, and to issue club charters. The voting papers are considerably simplified, and contains two lines viz., "Do you wish the number of licenses to be reduced in the district t Yes or No. Do you wish any licenses to be granted 1 Yes or No." :' When, after a prohibition vqte is reversed, only three-fourths, of the previous number of licenses can be granted. , > Private clubs cannot meet iv hotels, with exceptions mentioned in the provisions of the Act very similar to the law vow iv force.— Standard. „■..-■-•