The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-30
Under Bills Terms No New Licenses May Be Issued In Any Community Where There Are More Saloons Than One to Ev- cry 500 of Population.
Measure Is Intended to Work a Gradual Reduc- tion in Number of Places Where Liquor is Sold County Commissioners Have Same Powers as Hitherto In Refusing to Grant Licenses.
(By Our Staff Correspondent

Hartford June 3a-A bill potent with 1 influence on the future of the liquor
 traffic in the state of Connecticut and
 especially in the -populous cities of the state went through the House this morning with a rush. Its passage in the Senate seems well assured. The bill is the same draft by Rep. Peck of Stratford, who offered to it one amend
 ment only, and that to make it cer- tain that no new license can anywhere
 be issued until the number of saloons
 in being is less than one to every 5Oo of population. This was merely clear ing away an obscurity in the verb1age
 of the bill and was adopted.
 The bill follows:
 Section l. The county commissioners
 of each county may license, for per
 iod not extending beyond the first Monday of the month following the next annual town meeting. unless otherwise provided by law. by writ ing signed by themselves, suitable per sons to sell or exchange Spir1tuouS ana Intoxicating liquors in suitable places in those towns within their respective counties in which such licenses can legally be granted, and upon written application in the manner provided by law Transfers of licenses may be all lowed from any person who has not been convicted of a violation of the law concerning the sale of spirituous and intoxicating liquors during the year next preceding the application for such transfer and against whom no proceedings for such violation are been so convicted within one year next preceding such application and against whom no proceedings for such viola ton are pending
 Sec. 2. In any town in which, at the time of the passage of this act. the number of licenses granted by the county commissioners is in excess or the ratio of one license to each nve hundred inhabitants of the town, re- newals of licenses in such town may annually, except as hereinafter pro vided, be granted by the county com missioners to persons holding licenses at the time application for such re- newal is made, until such time as, by req son of failure to renew or re- vocation of such licenses, or other law full cause, the number of licenses granted in such town shall De re- duoed so that the number granted shall not be in excess of the ratio of one to each five hundred inhabitants; and in such town, thereafter, the num- Der of licenses which may be granted by the county commissioners shall not exceed one license to each five hundred inhabitants of such town. In any town in which licenses to sell spir1tuous ana intoxicating liquors are now legally granted and in which the number or
 licenses SranI0Q IS IlOI AoW HI O1AOOh'' of said ratio of one to five hundred, no new licenses shall be hereafter grant ed in excess of said ratio.
 Sec. 8. If, in any town in which the granting of licenses for the sale or spirituous and intoxicating liquors IS now prohibited by law, or in any town in which the granting of such licenses is hereafter prohibited as provided Dy law. it shall thereafter become legal for the county commissioners to grant l1- censes in such town, the number or licenses granted by the county com missioners shall not exceed one to each five hundred inhabitants of such town
 Sec 4. One license only may be granted in any town in favor Of grant ing licenses therein and in which the number of inhabitants is less than five hundred Licenses to druggists and wholesale dealers shall not be considered in fixing the ratio of the of licenses to the population, as provided in this, act, and the num- Der of inhabitants shall be determined by the United States census last pre- ceding the granting of such licenses
 Sec 5. No person who has been corning the sale of spirituous and in toxicating liquors, or who. has paid a fine or penalty for any such violation in settlement of any prosecution against him, or who shall have for feited his bond to appear in court to answer charges for any such violation during the year next preceding his ap- person, within the meaning of this act, to be granted a, license.
 Sec. 6. Nothing in this act shall be construed a repeal of the provis- ions of chapter 99 of the public acts of 1903.