The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-05-25 00:00:00

THE LICENSING BILL.

The Government Bill for Regulating the Sale of
Intoxicating Lipton bee been reprinted, in order to
chow the amendmente made by the Home of Lorde in
Committee on the Bill on the 10th of May.

As regards the record of convictions in the licence
the severity of the Bill has been lessened. The words
requiring such a record to be insole in case of con-
viction for any of the following offences have been
struck out of the Bill : —The licensed person having
in his possession on the premises intoxicating liquor
which he is not authorised to sell, and not accounting
for the same to the satisfaction of the justices ;
neglect to keep affixed conspicuously on the premises
a statement of the business for which they are
licensed ; the harbouring or supplying liquor to a
constable on duty, or bribing a constable, sale by
retail, and not in cask or bottle, nor in a quantity
less than half a pint, otherwise than according to
standard measure; the licensed person beirtg him-
self guilty of drunkenness, or violent, quarrelsome,
or riotous conduct. The last offence is struck out of
the Bill ; the others remain, and subject the person
convicted to penalties, but not to a record of the con-
viction on the licence. The cases in which the Bill as it
now stands enacts that a conviction, even the first,
shall be recorded on the licence are the following:—
Selling by retail intoxicating liquor without having
a licence, or at a place where the licence does not
authorise the sale, or an evasion of the limitation "not
to be drunk on the premises," such liquor being sold
with intent to evade the condition by consumption in a
shed, &c., or being drunk on the licensed premises or
adjoining highway if it shall appear that such drink-
ing was with the privity or consent of the licensed
person ; knowingly permitting drunkenness, or
any violent, quarrelsome, or riotous conduct on the
pre:nixes. or selling to a drunken person; knowingly
permitting the premises to be the habitual resort of
reputed prostitutes; suffering gaming or any unlawful
game on the premises. or suffering the house to be used
in contravention of the Betting Houses Act; keeping
the house open when required by law to be closed;
adulteration, or: knowingly selling intoxicating liquor
mixed with any deleterious ingredient—unless on con-
viction of this last offence the court forfeits the licence.
The possession by a licensed person knowingly of adul-
terated liquor, or of a deleterious ingredient, for the
possession of which he is unable to account to the
satisfaction of the Court will constitute the offence.
The licence is absolutely to be forfeited on conviction
of having an internal communication with an un-
licensed house of public entertainment or resort, and a
conviction for permitting the premises to be a brothel
forfeits the licence and for ever disqualifies its owner.
The clause relating to the effect of a conviction for an
offence directed by this Bill to be recorded on the
licence, after two convictions for offences against the
Bill have already been recorded, forfeits the licence
and disqualifies the holder for five years, and proceeds
to enact that,--

" The premises in respect of which his licence was granted
may, if tl.c court having cognizance of the case in its dis-
cretion so thinks St to order, be disqualified from receiving
any licence for a term of two years from the date of such
third conviction."
- -

Owners of licensed premises are to be entitled, on
payment of Is., to inspect the register of licences
with the endorsement of convictions. The hours
for closing licensed houses are altered, but some
words which should be struck out of the first part
of the clause have been left in it by mistake. The
hour of permitted opening on week-day mornings is
to be 6 instead of 7 am., and the whole of the
metropolitan police distziet is to have the hours
which the Bill at first assigned only to the district
within four miles of Charing-cross. The clauses re-
lating to publichouse inspectors are struck out, but
by an oversight they are still named in some clauses
as having certain powers, though there will be
no such persons in existence. A new clause is
added, empowering the licensed person to seal with
his seal samples taken for analysis, the analyst to
certify that he receives the sample with the seal un-
broken. The clauses relating to the grant of new
licences require further revision; the veto of the
Home Secretary ,till referred to, and indeed is still
required in borough licences. as the bill now stands.
The interpretation clause has been altered, and the new
definition of " licensed " does not seem an improve-
ment. Various alterations have been made in the
bill to make its meaning clearer, and to exclude un-
necessary words, and in Perna instances probably be-
cause the existing law meets the rase.
But the foregoing are the material alterations at
present made. The bill has now been reduced to 57
clatises.