[BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.] The New Licensing Bill. Wellington, Thursday.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1238, 5 June 1880, Page 2

[BY ELECT RIC TELEGRAPH.] The New Licensing Bill. Wellington, Thursday.

iox, Thuisday. The Licensing Bill is a bulk}' document of 51 pa-jes, containing 220 clauses. It lepeiU existing Acts, and abolishes the pii.-ent heviisuig districts New districts •Hi; lo Lo proclaimed by the Go\ernor, w nix boiiiidiii ies, so fay as possible, continuous >wth thosj oi boroughs, wards, ruling, aa I load dntiioK New or •special di^tucts may be piocLumi'd "where and when necessary. A Licensing Committee v, ill be constituted ior each district, u> uprising the Li'J&ident .Magistrate oi the di.tuct, <itid loiir persons appointed hoi'i tune to tniu by the Governor. Hiere ai ) tho iwi.il piovuions for the election to Jill va^'icu. l::. All persons interested in the manufacture and sale of li.juoron licensed premises, and all paid othceis of the General or Local Government aie disqualified from being members of .such a coiii'.nittve. Tlie members are to hold office for t\\ o years and may be reappomteil. Two membcis of the committee Vi ill foun a quorum. In native licencing districts a n.itiAo assessor is to l)e a member of committee : no license to be granted in his absence. Present licenses are to be subject to the Act, w Inch will apply equally to all districts. No " bottle licen^s "' v, ill be granted in futiue, but evicting bottle licenses are to continue in fc-ice until the 30th June, ISSI, and then ccavo absolutely. Unmained v, omen in ly hold licenses; but constable 1"- and bailiffs may not. The Minister of tfuhhe Works may license lailv.oy station refreshment looms. Bicueis and spwit, merchants must take out "whole.ale licenses. No 2 J(>l'&on can liold more than one license. There are se\ en diiterent classes of licenses provided for, viz. : —l, publicans': 2, family hotel; 3, billiard table; 4, conditional; 5, packet ; G, club : and 7, wholesale licenses. Ko 1 authorises the sale of liquor from G a.m. to 10 p.m. ; Xo. 2 the sale of l'qiior to boiio 'flic lesidents .at an hotel; A'o. 3, keeping billiard and bagatelle tables used between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Tlns,is included in the publicauV liceuso. Xo. 4 piovides* for boctLs at racp^, regattas, matches, etc., No. o for coa>tmn vc-> els. at sea; No G for bona fide club-; Ko 7 for the sale of liquor in quantilic-. oi tuo gallon-, or more. Midnight licences may be qi anted on paj'ment of £10 extia, and additional barb at the late of oue-thnd extra for each. Family hotels to be licenced mu-t contain at least teft, and public houses mx available rooms, and ha\e ample facilities for escape in ca-e of fuo. Public houses in addition, must h.ue t,t ibling. Quarteily licensing*^ meetings are to bo held in March, June, * September, and December of every year, ■with one month's public notice beforehand. All applications msf-t be heard in open Coiur, and he.v ing may beadjourned. ihe liisjxctor ot licon^ecl premises for every district In^ to furnish a report on each \{cQ\x> >d lumim 1 ton days before each meeting, aKo on o\oiv now application for transfer, <>ir. \t tho licensing 1 mectingh .ipplu- ition*. tor now b\-on^es will be taken fii.sr, now applications for old lioum'-'S next, jind ionow.\h, etc., afterward-, unltss tho latter be objected to, in which ca-e they come second. Due notice of objection is to be given to applicants. No new house is to be licensed if any part i> fitted up as a retail store, theatre, concert room or dancing hull. The Coinmil tee is to deter mine casts on such evid< nee as shall seem io them sufficient whether strictly legal evidence or not. The Committee is to decide by a majority, its decision to be announced by the chaiunan alone, who shall have the casting vote. No deci-io.i once pronoiinced is to bo questioned or reconsidered. Granting publicans' licenses for new houses i-. to be subject to a vote of the ratepayets or residents of the district. The sole question to be submitted to the vote being the proposal that " The number of publicans' license.- in the district may be increased," and a m ijority of votes to bu decisive if in the i egative, but an affirmative vote ilpes not oblige

the Committee to issue now licenses Objections made by memorial by pei'3ous over 18 years of age, by the police, by co-operative bodies or others, may be taken cognizance of by the Licensing Committee, aud who may award costs against either objector or applicant. An application, if refused, may be renewed tT" rhe next annual meeting, unless refused on the ground of personal unfitness, when three years must elapse. The usual provisions are made enforcing payment oi license fees, renewals, transfers, removals, &c. Packet, club, conditional and wholesale licenses, may ba granted at any time by the Licencing Magistrate, or by two members of the Committee. The granting of any license is to be entirely at the discretion of the Committee, and at a quarterly meeting the licenses may be cancelled if the house is improperly kept. The annual fees proposed are :—: — Publicans' license, £40 in borough ; £30 outside ; family hotel, £20, billiard (able, £10 ; conditional license, at discretion not to exceed £30 ; packet license, £10 ; club, £20 ; wholesale, < 10. The foe*, are to go to the Borough, County or Road Board funds Registers of Licenses and applications are to be kept, and the customary provisions are made as to the conduct and management of houses. No post ov rate office will be kept ..t a licensed house, and no liquor is to be sold on credit. The j>enalty for permitting drunkenness on the prclniscs, or selling" liquor to a drunken person, is jS2O for the fir>t offence and £30 for all subsequent offences. Keeping a disorderly house, harbouring or bribing constables, supplying them with liquor, permitting gambling or unlawful sports, etc. . is punishable with a first penalty of £10, subsequently £20, Licensed houses are to be closed on Sundays, Christmas Day, Good Friday. All convictions for license offences are to be recorded on the licenses. There are the ordinary provisions as to bona fide travellers and lodgers The maximum penalties for sly grog sellimr are, £50 or one month's imprisonment for a first offence : £100 or three months' imprisonment and five years' disqualification for a second ; and £200 or six months' imprisonment and perpetual disqualification for a third. No actual communication between licensed houses and places of public amusement is permitted. No liquor is to be supplied to a person under 12 year 3 of age or to habitual drunkards. Inspectors of licensed premises are to be appointed, with power of entry and search. The sale of adulterated liquor is made an offence involving forfeiture and publication of the conviction. Premises may be disqualified on account of offences committed thereon, or may be closed in case of riot. It will be seen from the above that the principal of local option is applied to new licenses only, consequently the vexed question of compensation to licenseholders does not enter into the matter. The Premier says if he was understood, in the Leeston speech, to say that local option applied to old licenses it was a mistake.