THE LICENSING ACT.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2558, 20 June 1882, Page 3

THE LICENSING ACT.

[MOM THE “ PEESS.I WELLINGTON, June 19. Mr Sutton’s Licensing Act Amendment Bill (No. 2) is just circulated. I telegraphed to you last week what would be the principal features. The following is a summary of its provisions :—Boroughs, counties, and road districts to bo licensing districts. No district to contain fewer than 1000 ratepayers. Section 13 of the Licensing Aot is repealed, and in lieu thereof it is enacted as follows : 1. The local authority having jurisdiction within any ordinary licensing district shall bo the Licensing Committee for snob district, and the clerk of snch local authority shall be the clerk of the Licensing Committee. 2. The Mayor and chairman, or other presiding officer of the local authority shall be the chairman of the Licensing Committee. 3. The proceedings of the local authority acting as a Licensing Committee shall be regulated by the rule# for conducting the ordinary business of such authority. 4. With respect to a member of a local authority acting as a member of a Licensing Committee, the disqualification mentioned in sections II and 12 of the Act shall apply only in respect of the voting of each last aforesaid members at a meeting of the Licensing Committee, and shall not apply in respect of their acting or sitting as members of any such committee. Section 11 of the Aot shall be read as if the word “vote” had been inserted therein instead of the words “acting or sitting.” 5. The chairman shall appoint a place, not being licensed premises, either within or outside of the district, as may be most convenient, at which the licensing meetings shall be respectively held ; but if there bo in the district any place used as a Court bouse by Resident Magistrates having jurisdiction in the district, then such meetings shall be held at such Court-house. 6. The chairman also shall appoint the date of the licensing meetings under the provisions of the Act. The word “ chairman ” is substituted for words “returning officer” in section 40. The cost of election of assessors is to be paid by the Crown. L’censos in respect of refreshment rooms at railway stations may be granted at any time by the Licensing Committees. The fee shall not exceed £25, provided that there shall be no public bar or taproom in or connected with the premises in respect of which the license is granted, and that the licensee shall be bound to provide refreshments at all times upon the atrival of trains. The lease of railway premises as refreshment rooms is not to empower the sale of liquors. Accommodation and wholesale licenses and special publicans’ licenses may be granted under special circumstances at the discretion of the Licensing Committee, the fee to be same as for a publican’s liosnsa. The license is not to be renewed or transferred, but must bo applied for as a publican’s license in the ordinary way next year, as if the applicant were an unlicensed person. Accommodation licenses not to be subject to local option. Triennial poll to be abolished, and applicants for licenses to poll the district at thoir own cost. As to granting additional licenses, the poll to be limited to subdivisions of districts, and to the proposal that the number of particular licenses respectively applied for at that time may bo increased or no. Tho determination arrived at at any such poll shall have effect only for one year, and shall have no operation in respect to application for new licenses, which may be sent in at the next annual licensing meeting. In case of any single application for a new license of any description, the chairman shall refuse to take a poll of the ratepayers in respect of such description of license, if the applicant refuses or neglects to deposit before hand the estimated cost, and when there are more applicants than one, and the poll is taken, the Licensing Committee shall refuse to grant a license to any applicant who has not paid his proper share of the cost of taking the poll. The affirmative by ratepayers that the number of any kind of licenses ~may bo increased in ths district eholl not be deemed to establish any right in any applicant to have his license granted, but the grant of a I’ccnie to anyone is to be absolutely in the discretion of the Licensing Committee. Nothing in this Act is to annul or to derogate from the provisions of section 75 cf the Licensing Aot. Notwithstanding the result of any poll of the ratepayers taken under this section, the Licensing Committee shall before granting any license as aforesaid taka into consideration every memorial or petition having reference to the granting of any such licensee, and any objection which may be made, and shall decide as they think beet as to the granting or repeal cf any such license.