The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1885. THE LICENSING ACT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1986, 9 May 1885, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1885. THE LICENSING ACT.

In a few days time the ratepayers in Mnsterton will be entitled to record their votes for or against an extension of the number of licenses in the Borough. The ballot paper that will be handed to them is quite a formidable looking affair, and nmny are likely lo wonder what they are required to do with all the paragraphs and instructions which it contains. The second schedule to the Licensing \d, 1881. prescribes the tormof the votin» paper, which has this heading " Pro" posal that the number of publicans, or New Zealand wine, or accommodation, or bottle licences, in the district may respectively be increased, upon which a poll will be taken on the—day of -18-. Now, this is in itself an aiisuidity. Who makes the "proposal" that any one or all of these licenses shall be increased] Simply nobody, and it would be just as correct to say "Proposal that the number, etc, shall notbe increased " Tbeschedulethen p ra . ceeds to set forth these statements :_ " 1.1 vote that thennmher of publicans' licenses in the district may be in. creased. 2. I vote that the number of publicans' licenses may not be increased." The voter is supposed to strike out one or the other, and then to proceed to deal in a similar manner with another brace of statements

referring tn New Zealand wineliceilßes. Accommodation mid bottle licenses will fittcV. occupy his attention in their turn. !f accommodation or bottle licenses could be granted in the Borough, it would perhaps be advisable to take a poll on the questions; but as part of the absurdity of the thing, Clause 32 of the Act would make the issue of an accommodation license within the borough illegal, as will be seen by the proviso, which reads as' follows:—!'No accommodation house shall lie granted in respect of any premisos situated within five milds by public road .of any other premises for which either a publicans' license or an accommodation license has already been granted, and is in force at the time of the hearing, of the application for the license first above mentioned." Tho proviso to Clause 33. sets forth that bottle licenses may only be issued ''within districts wherein on the day before the commencement of the Act, the issue of such licenses was authorized." With respect to accommodation licenses it is scarcely iiecessary to explain that no part of the borough extends five miles from any one of tho hotels, nor are any two points of its boundary that distance apart, Why then, in the name of common sense, are the burgesses expected to record an opinion when hard facts have already settled the supposed questions in the negative? There never were bottle licenses in.any part of the Wairarapa district, and as the law provides that they can only be issued in districts where they were authorised by law previous to the Act coming in force, a poll on the question is necessarily superfluous. It may perhaps be thought that as the law on these two points is inapplicable it is not necenary, to take apill on them i but on reference to Clause 47 it will best en that; a poll shall bn taken on each of the four proposal*. Common sense suggests that the two last named "proposals" are entiHy superfluous, but the law as its stands lias it that they are necessary. A simple amending act would remove the anomaly. But the worst feature of the Lieenning Act is that wlienover an amendment is proposed it is loaded with hundred of others, and ihe usual result is that none of them see the Statut < book, If the Government thinks that a poll on all the four points js necci;tsar.-, then we would point out another imperfection in the Act. We have eiminorated four kinds of lictn es; but there is a fifth, on which the are not asked to vote, namely packet licenses, for .use on board ships. It is true that no ships come to but it is also true that no accomaodation or I oltle licenses can be issued there, and if a poll must be taken on ihese two, it jspnly logical that it should be taken on the Dt,l}ep,