PREPARING FOR EVENTUALITIES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2178, 6 September 1907, Page 2

PREPARING FOR EVENTUALITIES.

THE LICENSING POLL. , (Special to Times.) - M ELLINGTON, September 6. Following up last night’s developments, considerable surprise was occasioned when this afternoon a Bill dealing with licensing polls wns introduced by message from liis Excellency the Governor. At present the law is that if an election is held within two years from tho date of the previous election no local option poll is taken until the following election. The new Bill provides that if at any time Parliament is dissolved before it has been two years in existence a licensing poll shall be taken at the next general election thereafter, notwithstanding anything to tho contrary in th© Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act Amendment Act, 1895, but the operation of such poll shall be suspended until the day when the Parliament so dissolved would otherwise have expired by effluxion of time, and such poll shall take effeot accordingly as if taken on that day, unless it has been already suspended bv a subsequent poll until - the poll so suspended in its operation takes effect in accordance with this Act, or is so superseded. The H poll in force ah the time of the tak- L ing of such first mentioned poll shall » continue in full force and operation. ‘" ! Sub-section 2 of section 4 of the Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act Amendment Aot, 1895, is to be repealed. The Bill also deals with a difficulty in connection until the ahange to single electorates in the four cities. It is proposed to constitute the three electoral districts in each city an electoral district in such city. The above-mentioned electoral districts are the districts as defined by the North and South Islands Representation Commission, which will come into effect on the expiration of the present Parliament.