PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Opunake Times, Volume I, Issue 16, 24 August 1894, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

HOJJSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wellington, August 21. LOCAL BILLS. It was decided to take local Bills on Thursday afternoon. questions. In replj to questions it was stated legislation was beiug prepared in the direction of the Government making advances upon sites of buildings and plant of dairy factories and creameries ; that the Government considered a conference should be held either in this colony or in some other colony to establish a tariff treaty, and Mr Ward was hopeful something would be done this session to help the people of the colony in this matter ; that the Railway Commissioners could not grant a concession in fares to the police officers when on leave; that the Great Powers had not accepted the recommendation of the Government with respect to the federation of Samoa and New Zealand, but the Premier hoped to receive more favorable information later on ; that the Government had no reason to believe that any other financial institutions would be adversely affected by the recent banking legislation; that the question of controlling the note issue of the colony would receive very careful consideration from the Government; the Premier thought photographs of prohibited persons should be sent to hotelkeepers. licensing bill. The-Licensing Bill was introduced by a message from the Governor and read a first time. THE LICENSING BILL. Wellington, August 21The Licensing Bill, which was cirlated late this afternoon, consoldiates and amends the existing law as to the sale of liquors. The principal amendments consist of the abolition.of bottle and New Zealand wine licenses; granting of wholesale and packet licenses only by the Licensing Committee at any quarterly meeting; limitation of wholesale licenses to the sale of not less thon two gallons of spirits or wine and not less than five gallons of beer. Club charters may not be t granted for premises which have been refused a license, nor in any district where the granting of licenses has been vetoed. No alteration has been made in the law as to the disqualification of women to hold licenses, further than that the wife of a lunatic is empowered to hold a license. The Licensing Committee, instead of beiug elective, is made up of the chairmen of the different local authorities in the district, and of the chairmen of the Education Board, Charitable Aid Board, and benevolent institutions exercising functions within the licensing district, together with the magistrate exercising jurisdiction within the licensing district. No new native districts are to be created. The expenses of taking a poll of electors (including the cost of compiling and, if necessary, printing the rolls) are to be defrayed out of moneys voted by Parliament, but all expenses incident to the conduct of business by the Licensing Committee are to be defrayed by the controlling local authority, who may recover from other local authorities a contribution in proportion to the license fees received by them, 6r in districts where no license fees are received a contribution in proportion to the population therein. A single local authority not receiving license, pays a contribution equal to that of the lowest amount contributed by any local authority which receives fees. The taking of a poll of electors for the purposes of this Act is to be conducted under “ The Electoral Act, 1893,” and simultaneously with the poll taken for election of members to the House of Representatives at every general election, but in the case of a dispute aa. to.the result of any such first-mentioned poll, any 12 electors may demand an inquiry, as if the poll were an election under “ The Regulation of Local Elections Act, 187|5.” The question of granting an increase of licenses after a census showing an increase of population, is to be determind at the poll occurring next after the gazetting of the results of such census, when, if the determination of the ordinary poll that licenses may .be granted in the district be in the affirmative, it is to be held to affirm also the granting of additional new licenses, not exceeding one license for every 700 head of such increase of population. When a member is returned unopposed, the poll is nevertheless to be taken, at which, if one-fourth of the total electors on the roll do not vote, the poll is void. At all polls a majority of votes polled carries reduction of licenses ; three-fifths votes polled are necessary to carry district prohibition, failing which licenses are to continue as they are unless a reduction is adopted. A return of the poll is to be sent to the Minister, who, if he finds that three-fifths of alLthe votes polled in the colony are for prohibition in favor of no licensed, then prohibition throughout the colony shall be deemed affirmed, and the Minister is to gazette such result, which is not to take effect for one year at least after the poll. In reference to increase of licenses a population increase of 10 per cent is substituted for 25 per cent. In clause 203 provision is added giving authority to the owner to evict a tenant guilty of au offence which may entail disqualification of the premises. Clause 205 is to enable the owner of premises who has evicted a tenant for having his license endorsed for a breach of the law to apply to the committee for cancellation of such endorsement. Re-freshment-room licenses at railway stations are totally abolished, saving existing licenses to continue until the expiration of their contract time, thereafter not to be renewed.