KING COUNTRY LICENSES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 134, 5 July 1909, Page 4

KING COUNTRY LICENSES

THE KERNEL OF THE QUESTION'. The whole question of the right to grant wholesale liquor licenses in the King Country turns upon the point ns to whether the land included within the proclamation was native land at the time of the issue of that proclamation declaring that no licenses to sell liquor should be granted within the area known as the King Country. This is the view taken, after careful consideration, by the Attorney-General (Hon. Dr, Findlay), and he lias accordingly instructed the Crown Law Ollice to have this question settled as a preliminary to proceedings being taken by way of ccr-liiu-ari to quash the licenses already granted. In his memorandum to the Crown Law Ollice. the Attorney-General states that it is abundantly clear that if the statutory authority" has been followed the prohibition extends to the grant of all licenses (including wholesale licenses). The difficulty is' whether the statutory authority has been followed. European settlement had spread .through, the extensive native districts to which the law authorising the proclamation was intended to apply. No douibt it might still lie used to prevent a licensed house lieing established near a pa or Maori settlement. "In the view I have taken pf the law," concludes Dr. Findlay, "the Surveyor-General should be asked to definitely ascertain whether the areas in question were native land or not at the time of the proclamation. If they were not native land at that time, then it is quite clear no Court can disturb the grant of these licenses If the land within the. proclamation was native, land at the date of the proclamation, then I think these licenses were granted illegally, even if portions of such land ■ have since ceased to be native land."