The Licensing Bill.

Manawatu Herald, 22 August 1893, Page 2

The Licensing Bill.

The Government Licensing' $ill has been circulated. It contains 20 clauses and three schedules; 'The electoral districts for the time, being for the House of Bepresenta-tiv.esare to be the ordinary 'licensing districts and the roll of electors i is' to '■ Ibe^ihe roll for licensing elections.-. ■■ : Pro« vision is made for suddenly' -increased population. Gomrmtteefi^re to consist of nine members, to be elected under the Regulation 1 *of Electors Act every third year. "'■ The Returning Officer for the Electoral District is to be the Beturning Officer under the Licensing Act. Committees are to be elected- /|or each district as soon after the -Act comes into force as possible 1 ;' 'mem« bers having more than, , three, jniles to travel are to be paid travelling expenses by the local 'authority ; committees are to be "electefl' ;r *&i~ ennially ; vacancies are to be -filled by the Governor ; the quorum "is to be five; no member is to be" disqualified for having prior to the election or at any time, expressed his views or given any pledge, or expressed any opinion as to the licensing laws or liquor traffic, nor may the acts of the Committee be questioned or set aside because any number of members have so pledged or expressed themselves. — Any widow or any wife who has .obtained a protection order as mentioned in the present Licensing Acts may hold a license, but otherwise, no. women, whether married or unmarried, is to be capable of holding a license. All houses are to close from 11 p.m to 6 a.m. and on Sunday. During closed hours by day or night all windows, of the public bar ot a licensed house are to be left unscreened without being covered by furniture, blind, or shutter, so that the whole interior may be exposed to public view. . > , { , Whenever a license is granted after the taking of a poll in any district, licensees shall have the right of annual renewal of such license for the twojydarJ Siqjc&flikg the original grant thereof until The taking of the next poll unless, in the maantime, his license, becomes, en- * dorsed for any breach of law Jin respect of any of the offences, meptioned in this Act; if so endorsed renewals may be refused.;.' iAftpr this Act comes into foroe except "as heretofore provided, no_ ne.w licenses are to be^granted kualiy distrjgf^ until after the taking of the n O xt census. After the annual meeting in '1^94, no licenses of any kind are to be renewed until the eleotors of the district' have' previously determined (1) whether the present number of licenses is to be continued ; (2) i whether the number of such licenses

- » irii.fn mm^ l^L. is to be reduced; (8) whether any licenses are to be granted in March next and in every third year thereafter ; a poll to be taken upon these questions. Each elector is only to have one vote and the poll is to be t&keti under the regulation of the Electors Act. The first or second proposal to be deemed carried if there is an absolute majority of votes polled recorded for either. If on counting the votes, the Returning Officflr finds that the total number 'of votes recorded does not amount to one half of the total ;:iia«iber of electors on the i f oH'lie^shaii declare the^ pjjU-^b' be void, and that the — -number of licenses in the district shall continue aS they were before such poll was taken. If the vote is ' Jn favour of the reduction of licenses,' then the number is to be reduced by. - such number (not exceeding one fourth of the total number of licenses of the kind) as the Committee shall think desirable. Licenses which hay« been endorsed for offences are to be first reduced, next those premises of which little or no lodging accommodation, and thereby those which are in close proximity to each other,, the reduction to •'■ extend equitably over ' the whole district* Any loss of revenue sus- : tamed by a local body from the , reduction of license fees may be • made good by the increase of general rates. The licensees deprived of ' licenses through no fault of theirs, .are. discharged from futnre rents and covenants relating to licensed pre- , Ulises; Clubs are to bo subject to 'inspection, and to the principal provisions of the Licensing Act, and "the i Olub charters may be endorsed the same as a license.