The Globe. THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1878.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1309, 30 May 1878, Page 2

The Globe. THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1878.

The Hon. Mr. Ballance, in addressing his constituents at Wanganui the other day, informed us that it was the intention of the Government to introduce a Bill to consolidate the various Acts and ordinances referring to licensing. While doing so, however, he gave no indication of the particular direction in which the Government would wish the legislation to go. The bare fact was stated that a much needed consolidation would he recommended by the Government on meeting the House next session. The necessity and wisdom of legislation on the subject being alike in all parts of the colony is apparent. At present the licensing laws in Otago and Canterbury, for instance, are different. In the first-named provincial district the publichouses close at 10 p.m., whilst others are able to bo kept open until midnight; but in Canterbury there is only one rule, viz., that all houses must close at 11 p.m. There are other points in which houses under precisely similar circumstances are dealt differently with by the law when situated in distinct provincial districts. But as wo have said, Mr. Ballance affords us no clue to the mind of the Government on the general question, nor as to the direction which the proposed new Bill is likely to take. A proclamation issued a few days since, however, lets in a little light upon the subject. For the purposes of the granting of licenses, &c, under the Act of 1873, and the amending Acts, the Christchurch district has hitherto comprised tho city of Christchurch and suburbs, and the rural Road Board districts immediately contiguous. Acting, howevoi*, under the powers conferred by clause 3 of the Act of 1873, the Governor has divided the Christchurch district, which was previously one, into several sub-divisions, the city having been divided similarly to the Drainage Board divisions, and the others following apparently the Road Board districts. The same Licensing Bench, acting for the district when it was one, has boon appointed to act for all the sub-divisions. Tho effect of this seems to be in favour of the principle of local option. The Act of 1873, which is now in force, contains a provision whereby the Licensing Bench is precluded from granting any license provided two-thirds of tho adult residents in the district sign a petition against tho same. Hitherto this has not been able to be put in force to any largo oxtmt, owing to the difficulty of obtaining twothirds of tho signatures over a large area. Under present circumstances, however, now that tho district has been subdivided, it appears to us that this will disappear, and the residents in these small districts will be able to exercise a power of deciding the larger question of whether publichouses should exist at all or not, which wo have on former occasions contended should be decided by a larger section of the population. The effect of sub-division will be, so far as we can seo, to enable the residents in any district or several where two-thirds of the signatures can be obtained to close all houses therein absolutely. No doubt, in these divisions, or the majority of them, this could be easily done, and by presenting the same petitions against each house in the district, with the twothirds signatures attached, the Bench would be obliged to refuse to liconso them. Thus small sections would virtually exercise the power which should only be left in the hands of larger areas. Why tho proclamation should have boen introduced just now is hard to imagine. Wo are on the eve of a session in which the Government intend introducing a new Bill to deal with the question. Tho proclamation also makes its appearance only a few days prior to the date fixed for the general licensing meetings to which applications have been made under tho Act. Supposing it was dcomocl advisable to give to tho residents in these small districts tho power which we conceivo under the present state of affairs they receive, they would bo prevented exercising it for three months, because they would not be aware of tho alteration in time to give tho requisite notice, under the Act, of opposition. Tho same gentlemen, it will bo seen, hold the position of Licensing Magistrates for the whole of the districts as have acted for the Christchurch district boforo tho division. Except therefore that tho residents of the small districts will bo enabled at next licensing day following the one now close at hand to exerciso tho powers we have referred to, the proclamation seems really to have little or no effect. We trust that in the amended Act proposed to bo brought iii the Logis-

lature will tako care itself to defino the size of licensing districts. At present the Governor has solo power to do this, and the Ministry therefore can make the districts either lai-go or small. This is a power which should only ho exercised hy the Parliament, and therefore it is that we hope to see the new Act contain a clause defining the size of licensing districts.