Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, OCT. 23. 1894. The Licensing Act.

Manawatu Herald, 23 October 1894, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, OCT. 23. 1894. The Licensing Act.

The attempt made by the holder of a license at Manakau to obtain a transfer of it to Levin at the last quarterly meeting of the 0.-aki Licensing Committee will be fresh in the minds of our readers. Owing to some unforseen causes two members of the Committee were absent from that meeting, and the decision come to, to refuse the application, was only arrived at by a vote, four to three, and Levin was thus saved from the presence of another licensed huuse by one vote. The application was a decided novelty and it it had been approved of by the Committee, it would have opened the door for the removal of licensed premises in one town-hip over stocked with such luxuries to a township which up to

how has been able tq proper without such a. boon. We wrote fully, add p rhaps strongly, upon thf attempt as we held that " the vote given at the last, Licensing poll was upo.i the supposition that licenses would remain exactly in the position they we're when the poll was taken.'" We showed that under the clause " depeuded upon by the applicant in making his application from Manakait id Lyvin, he won'd have been .justified in asking for a transfer of his license to Gam ptall town, ov any other spot at present free of a licensed house." We also remarked that such tactics on the part of the t.nide would arouse ft very strong feeling on the part of those who hbhl earnest Convictions against granting permission to sell alcoholic liqu >rs. In our leader ufl9ih September, we wi'O'Q " it is fo be h>pt d that some action will be tak^n when the Hou-v is considering the new Licensing Bill to provide some m»ans of iff ctually checking the attempt to trans fer the licenses granted for one par licnlar site to oihpr sites far re moved." Mr J. G. Wilson, who ! always studies the interests of iho-:e be represents, brought the niatr b f>re Pirlianient by a question, bt finding the Licencing Bill w.i-. nm, likely to pass, he. a-k-d th- j Minister 41 If the Licensing Bill is not p;is<ed. will they bring in a *horb Bill of nnclause prohibiting the transfer of a license from one township to another ?" This question had been on the Order Paper of the House many days, and was only asked and answered on Thursday. The wisdom of the question is sh wn by the manner, both it and the answer, wus received, which we take from Friday's Evening Pod — THE LIC USING BILt. Mr Wilson asked the "lvmier, yeatprdav. while members laughed long and loud, whether »/'the Lic-'n^inj.; Bill Was not, pass d the Government, would bring in a short, Bill prohibiting the tran fer of a license from one township to another. The laughter which always greets any alliisidu lo the I Licensing Bill hicivs«pd as the Premier i ro^-, iltia burst still louder when Mr Seddon suggested that it was rnihcr soon to presume tint, the i ion-ing Hill would not go ihrnngh. Mr Wilson should " wai and wa'ch " (" Watch ami pray " cii d Mr Pirani through the din cf deri-on.) In the meantime, add< d the Premier, coming down ; to a serious view, it was undesirable and against the spirit of the law for Licensing Comtnitteps to consent to these removals to long dis ances. Tins pronouncement was received wish approval, and Vl r VViNon in imat< j d that there was a case in point where such a thiug was to bo done, and that near the State Farm. It is well that such on expression of opinion has been given by the Premier and approved by th^ House. It niiiy convince hotel brokers a- d others that such attemp a in the future will be hardly w >rth making or risking money on to obtain th itends. The holders of license* ap plied for the privileges and obtains I what, they sought and must now, by the f iir reading ( >f the Act, make tlv best of their bargains. It, is to In; hop 'd every m mber of licensing Committees will mark th* P emer -; as-ertinn " that it was undesir-ible and against the spirit, of the law fir Committees to consent to the^e re movals to long distances'' and Ik-. guided by hi-; advice. L is mki pleasing to us to learn th ■• Pivnve '.-• opinion as we had feared he w »v d be more inclined to take the Trade view, and we are naturally glad to have the views we placed b. fore our readers so strongly endorsed by the Parliament of ihf> c<>l ny. We should doubt now of th^re being any attempt to repeat the applicaation made at the last quarterly meeting of the 0 aki Licencing Committee.