Sir Robert Stom's Licensing Hill.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 3035, 26 July 1893, Page 2

Sir Robert Stom's Licensing Hill.

The Bill to amend the Licensing Act introduced by Sir Robert Stout is one about which there should bs little ambiguity. After the usual short title, preamble, and interpretation clauses, it plunges right into the direct veto principle, "md lepealing sections ■45,-46, 47, and 49 oi the Act of 1881, substitutes for them the following :—-

"From and after the conmieiic ment of this Act, no publicans', >'ew Zeilaud wine, accommodation, or bottle: licenses shall be granted until the electors. • • . . stall have previously determined in a manner hereinafter provided (1) whether any tuch licenses are to be granted or not; (2) whether the number of any such licenses is to bo reduced ; (3) whether the number of any such licenses is to be increased or not.

At such poll the questions set forth in the third section of this Act shall be submitted in *he form set forth in the schedule set forth in the ninth section ot this Act.

As soon as conveniently may be after I the result of the poll has heen ascertained the chairman shall give public notice of the number <~f votes recorded for and against the several proposals as above provided, and shall declare the resolutions to be carried or rejected, as the case may be. If the majority of the votes given are in favor of the proposal that no licenses of the kind in respect whereof the vote has been taken are to be granted, or the proposal that the number of licenses -is to be reduced, or that the number of licenses shall not be increased, then'that shall be the determination or determinations, and,shall be binding on the Licensing Ctmmittee; and in the case of such determination being that the number of licenses is to be reduced, then the number of publicans' licenses granted shall not be more than such a number that there shall be one such license in respect of every seven hundred and fifty inhabitants in the licensing district, and the census returns shall be conclusive evidence of the number of inhabitants in each licensing district; and in the case of wine, accommodation, or bottle licenses the Licensing Committee shall reduce the number by such a number as the Commit* tee shall think desirable.

Before any poll is taken ss provided by the third section of this Act the clerk of the Licensing Committee shall add to the ratepayers' roll of the licensing district the names of all persons (not already in such ratepayers' roll) appearing in the roll of electors for the election of members of the House of Representatives who reside in the licensing district, or are enrolled in respect of any qualification situate in the licensing district; or, if tho licensing district is not wholly comprised in one electoral district, but in more than one, then such clerk shall add as aforesaid the names of all electors appearing in the rolls for such electoral districts who reside in the licensing district, | or are enrolled on either of such rolls in respect of a qualification situate in the' licensing district; and such ratepayers' j roll, when co amended as aforesaid, shall | be the roll for the tak*ng of the poll under sections of this Act, and the provisions of the second and third paragraphs of the fifty-first section of the said Act (1881) shall be deemed to be added to this ! section. The Governor in Council shall appoint some one day in tho month cf March, 1891, and thereafter in tlie month of March in every tbird year, f :>r the taking in fell licensing districts throughout the colony of the poll to bd taken under the provisions of the anid Act as amended by this Act; and the Returning Officer in each licensing district shall give not less than fourteen days' m-tice of the day so appointed. The fact that a member of a licensing, committee his, prior to his election or at any iirne, given a pledge to reduce the number of licenses, or to refuse all licenses, or his expressed any opinion as to the policy of granting licenses, shall rot disqualify such member from sitting aud acting as a member of the licensing committee $ nor fchall the fact of any n amber of a licensing committee or any number of tnerqbprs having so pledged or expressed, themselves render any decision or act of such committee liable to be questioned or set aside. FOEM OF VOTING-PAPBK. In respect of publicans' licensei.

I vote that no publicans' licenses be granted. I vote that the number of publicans' licenses be reduced. I vote that the number of publicans' licenses may be increased. I vote that the number of publicans' licenses may hot be increased. [The same formula is repeated in respect of $Jew Zealand wine, accjmmodalion, and bottle licensed, and the schedule goes on to give the following :—} Directions.

In each of the foregoing cases the voter is to strike out the proposal for which he does not vote by Drawing a line through the same with a pencil. He must be careful not to leave uncancelled more than one proposal in each ' case; otherwise the vote in such case will; be void in respect of that particular proposal. The ballot-paper so marked by or for i the poter is to be dropped by him into the balh?t-box.. 'The voter p not allowed to take hid ballot-paper out of the polling-booth.