Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1901. THE LICENSING BILL.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 23 September 1901, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1901. THE LICENSING BILL.

It is quite evident that the proposed Licensing Bill will be keenly debated in the House of Representatives, for when the measure reaches committee stage quite a number of amendments are promised, and an almost interminable struggle is likely to ensue. Already Pirani, Lawry and Hutcheson have given notice of their intention to move new clauses. The Premier too, appears to be very much in earnest over the Bill, and has given notice of his intention to move the suspension of standing order 332, when the Bill is in committee so that no amendment can be discussed unless three-fifths of the members support such amendment. The regulation is a somewhat arbitrary one, and is generally only put in force after a measure has been before the House, and it has been factiously opposed. A Licensing Bill, however, is one —no matter what its provisions—that would in the present House of Representatives be factiously opposed by one side or the other, and the Premier realising this has determined to be before hand with obstructionists The Premier in introducing the measure explained that the Bill was intended to remedy certain technical defects in the working of the present law, principally in regard to the removal of licenses from one district to another. It was also necessary to give magistrates discretionary power in certain cases in regard to the endorsement of licenses, and some provision was required to be made in regard to the sale of liquor at tourists resorts. These matters would be dealt with in the Bill, but it would not be an elaborate measure, the larger questions involved in licensing law could be left for future consideration.