Poverty Bay Standard. PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1881.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 954, 22 June 1881, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard.

PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1881.

We .shall sell io no man Justice or Hight; We shall deng to no man Justice or Hight; We shall defer to no man Justice or Hight.

We give below the leading features of the three principal Bills before Parliament at the date of our last advices

The Chinese Immigrants Bill provides that the Act is only to come into operation when the Governor in Council is satisfied that the Chinese in the Colony exceed 500. Ships arriving in the Colony may not carry more than one Chinaman to every ten tons of tonnage, the owner, charterer, or master being liable to a penalty not exceeding £lO for each passenger so carried in excess. The master on arrival is to give a list of the Chinese passengers on board and before landing, and the Chinese must pay to the Collector of Customs £lO for every such Chinese. This shall not apply to any Chinese member of the crew, unless he lands with the intention of remaining in the Colony. If the master neglects to pay the poll tax, he is liable to a penalty not exceeding £2O for each Chinese permitted to land without being paid for, and in addition to any such fault the vessel shall be forfeited and may be seized, condemned, and disposed of in like manner as ships forfeited for a breach of any law relating to the Customs of the Colony. On payment of the poll tax the Customs officer shall give each Chinese a certificate, which shall always be admitted as evidence of the sum having been paid. If at any time within three years from the date of landing of any Chinese in respect of whom such sums shall have been paid,

such Chinese shall depart from the I Colony to any part beyond the seas, and shall, before his departure, prove to the satisfaction of the Colonial Treasurer : —l, That, during his residence in the Colony, he has not been confined in any gaol or lock-up, after convict ion of any offence ; 2, That he has paid all fines and penalties imposed upon him under the provisions of any Act in force in the Colony ; 3, That he has paid all expenses incurred in respect of his confinement or medical treatment in any public hospital, charitable institution, lunatic asylum or other place for the care, treatment, or cure of sick poor or of insane; 4, And that no expense or charge has fallen upon the revenue for his support ; then upon the production of his certificate the amount so paid in respect of such Chinese shall be repaid to him on board of the vessel by which he shall so depart; but if he shall fail to make such proof within the period aforesaid the amount shall be paid into the public account and form part of the consolidated fund. If any Chinese shall enter, or attempt to enter, the Colony without the poll of £lO being paid he shall, V es^es such sum, be liable to a penalty not exceeding £lO. At any hearing the justices may decide upon their own view and judgment, whether any person charged before them is a Chinese or not within the meaning of the Act. All Chinese within thfi Colony at the time the Act comes into operation may within two months thereafter obtain a certificate of exemption from the payments under the Act. A certificate of exemption may also be granted in case of temporary absence from the Colony.

The Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill provides for the division of the Colony into hospital and charitable aid districts, for bringing the hospitals and charitable institutions under an Act for fixing the local grants in aid, for determining the proportionate contribution by local bodies, and by private subscribers, and for establishing boards of management till these things are authorised to be done by Orders in Council. Local bodies and subscribers are to have votes in the election of Boards of Management, according to contributions, five votes being the maximum in any case. There are provisions for retirement of members, constitution of new districts, j establishment of branch hospitals and charitable relief (both in-door and out-doar). Boards are to be empowered to appoint and remove all necessary medical officers, secretaries, nurses attendants, and assistants, and to pay

salaries out of funds, and to make contracts by tender where the amount exceeds £2O, to acquire and hold real and personal property, to leave lands under certain restrictions, to make bylaws, to sue and be sued, members not being personally responsible. Persons receiving relief are to be liable for the same as a debt if they should be in a position to pay it. The Hospital and charitable aid. fund is to consist of Parliamentary grants, contributions from bodies, private donations and subscriptions, rents and profits of land or other property vested in Boards, and all other wrongs received under Act. It is provided that out of any sums appropriated by Parliament for the purpose, there “ may ” be paid a subsidy of £1 per £1 received by a Board in the shape of grants for local bodies, subscriptions, donations, or receipt by Board other than the proceeds of land and endowments, but the subsidy is in no case to exceed half the annual net cost of maintenance of the institution. Contributions in arrear may be recovered as debts, and local bodies may either pay their contributions out of their ordinary revenue, or make a special rate, or levy a poll-tax. Inspection of all institutions is provided for. There is a “ special provision ” -that the Go-vernor-in-Council may vest the control of any hospital or charitable institution in a voluntary association of persons, who shall signify their willingness to undertake the charge. Such association thereupon being placed on the same footing as to subsidies, &c., as a Board elected in the usual way, but subject to such special terms as may be imposed by order in Council.

The Licensing Bill is a bulky document of of 58 pages, containing 229 clauses and 11 schedules. The last clause repeals all existing Acts, and the last schedule comprising a list of the Acts so repealed, includes one of the Imperial Paaliament (24, George 2, C. 4), four of the Governors and Legislative Council of New Zealand, fourteen of the General Assembly, and thirty-two Provincial ordinances. It provides for Local Option to applications for new licenses only. No licensee is to have any beneficial interest, directly or indirectly, in more than one license. Licenses are divided into five clauses. The first including publicans, family hotel, club, bottle, New Zealand wine, and billiard-table licenses. The second-class comprising packet, wholesale, and conditional licenses. Under Club Licenses the licensee must be an officer of a Club, and may only supply liquor to bona fide members and their guests. The New Zealand Wine Licenses authorise the sale between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., in quantities not exceeding two gallons to any one person of wine, cider, and perry, the produce of fruit grown in the Colony, the liquor to have a strength not exceeding 30 per cent, proof spirit. New licenses (of first-class) are only to be granted at each annual meeting; second-class licenses may be granted at any time. The following are proposed as the annual fees for the various licenses: — Publicans’ license within Boroughs, £4O. outside, £3O ; Club license, £2O; bottle license, £4O; New Zealand wine license, £1; billiard-table license, £lO ; packet license, £10: wholesale, £lO ; conditional license, according to duty, not exceeding £3O. There are elaborate provisions for registration of licensed premises as to duties and liabilities of licensees, rendering debts for liquor non-recoverable, etc. No liquor of any description is to be supplied to persons of either sex who are apparently under the age of 16 years, the exception in last year’s bill permitting beer to be supplied to children of 12 years being struck out. Inspection of licensed premises (Clubs included) is duly provided for. Convictions for selling adulterated liquor are to be endorsed on the offenders license and placarded on his premises, and for a second offence to be advertised at his cost.