The Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 1877.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 88, 22 August 1877, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 1877.

The Local Option Bill of the Hon. W: Fox contain a 23 clauses. Every man and woman of the age of--21 are defined as adult, 20 of whom, , being residents within any licensing district, may .by writing, require the Chairman of the Licensing Bench to define a sub- district and take a .vote according to the Act. The Chairman must then define such sub-district, and also appoint a day for taking j votes. Everyhouse licensed, or for which a license renewal, or transfer is applied for, is to be considered the centre of the sub-disirict m which, it is situated, and should there, be more than one house m close proximity, the Chairman isto appoint someintermediate point as the centre. A sub- ' district m a borough is to include all honafide residents for one month .within a radius of 100 yards from the centre. In a country district the . radius is increased to two miles. On the voting day a paper is to be delivered at tne residence of each resident, who is to vote " yes or no "ison it and sign it. The- voting papers are then to be collected, the " yes or no " to be m relation to the . introduction of not of the prohibition clauses of. the Act. TJie day following the vote, the result is to be made known by the Chairman through the newspapers. Penalties will be imposed for disclosing or fabricating votes. In the event of the prohibition clauses being adopted, 50 persons- may 3 years after, but not before, require a fresh vote to be taken. Should the clauses be adopted, no license is to be granted 'within the sub-district, and any selling, disposing, or allowing to be sold or disposed of, any liquor m tbe sub-dis-trict, is to be punished by not less than 14 days or more than six-months imprisonment, without the option of a fine. Existing licenses are to continue for their legal term. The expenses' of taking votes are to be- paid out of license fees m- any part of a licensing district not constituted a sub-district, and. where no poll shall have been taken, and m any subdistrict where a vote adverse to prohibition has been taken, any 20 persous resident within the prescribed district may object to ■ the issue or removal of any particular license, and require the Chairman to take a vote m regard to the license m question. Medical practitioners are to be allowed to prescribe, and chemists to dispense alcoholic liquors for medical purposes. There have been numerous meetings m various parts of the colony upon the subject of the Bill, and numerous petitions -have been forwarded to Wellington, both for and against it, but it remains to be seen whether Mr Fox's Local Option Bill will ever become law m New Zealand.