The Daily News THURSDAY, MAY 14. BRITISH LICENSING BILL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 122, 14 May 1908, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, MAY 14. BRITISH LICENSING BILL.

A* Chancellor oi' the Kxcheijuer in the late lJritish Ministry it iell to tlie lot oi Air. Asijuith to introduce the Licensing ljiU- ullkiiilly described as a liill i to amend the Licensing Ad, to a measure which has proved produe* uve of a great deal oi iceiing. Jl tJio i!ill passes into law it is anticipated l iiat one [naetical result will be the closing of no fewer than 15U.00U public' houses in Lnglaml, whilst power i.-> given to abolish the employment of barmaids where it is deemed desirable. !?umi: tune ago .Mr. As<|uith declared that in the Government policy, the following Impositions were regarded as "essentials":—(a) 'A progressive reduction ot facilities for the retail sale of intoxicating drink; (b) recovery by the State

ot the property in licenses which, theoretically, it has possessed from the lirsl. and which "lias been iiiiprovidenlly ailoweil to slip out uf its control." The ratio to population under which licenses are at present held, taking town and country, is stated to be one for everv 350; under the Kill, if it becomes law,

there will lie an immediate, reduction to one in every 750 in towns and one in every 400 in the country. Thir, is sweep ing enough. In order to give cllect to this every licensing body is required u: an early date to submit a scheme to a Central' Licensing Commission to be created. In the country, houses may be opened on Sundays for one hour in , the middle of the day and for two hours nt night.

To New Zen landers the most interesting lealure of tin- Hill is, of course, that relating to reduction. To-day there is no public man in the motherland who would dare to propose such a policy as has been carried out in this Dominion. Where licenses are refused on the ground of redundancy the owners must be compensated. By means of levies made on licensees throughout England nnd Wales a fund is created, and from this fund compensation is paid, so that the licensee* whose properties are

greatly increased in value by reduction pay the compensation required to be given to those whose licenses have been taken away. In some of the cities of New Zealand the licenses of some miblicans have been taken away: in all iio new licences have been granted for some vears; in all the population has increased vastly, so that the value of public-house property has immensely increased. That is the practical result of our policy. Surely nothing could be more unjust than to compulsorily destroy the property of one man to build up in value the property of another. That is what lias been done in New Zealand. The statesmen of England recognise that "theoretically" the Statethrough the nicdiuinship of its minor machinery—had the right at one time to refuse the renewal of licenses, hut that right which it once possessed had been "iniprovidnitly allowed to slip out uf iU hands." A precisely similar state of things existed in this colony, but our public men were not at all concerned about the rights that had been acquired. When a lieviod of fourteen years has pawed all rights existing in connection with the renewal of licenses will be deemed to have expired, and the Government will resume the position which it avers it has permitted to slip improvi dently away.

It is interesting to notice that a measure so considerate as this was declared bv Mr. Balfour to be "gross injustice.' lie affirmed that the Bill "violated the fundamental principles which should govern legislative proposals." The Bill was "neither honest n* regarded the propertv of the licensed holders, nor would it be effective ill the interests of temperance." In England Mr. Balfour is accepted as a scholar and a strictly honorable gentleman. If be were in Xew Zealand and offered this protest against the wholesale destruction of property he would learn that he was an ignoramus; that he had a beerliesotteil brain, or had been bribed by the publicans. We are an entirely progressive people in New Zealand. The educated classes in England are an essentially slow lot that don't know anything. They should pay a trip to New Zealand and learn bow to deal with breweries, hotels, and everything else that doe* not please the popular fancv. instead of wasting time over periods of notice, compensation, and other similar trifles. We can teach them!