PETITION TO AMEND THE MUNICIPAL ACT
from the Sessional Papers of the British Columbia Government,
1887
extracted by Hugh Armstrong
rev. 11 Dec 2003 mrp
PETITION
To the Honourable the Members of the Legislative Assembly of the
Province of British Columbia, in Parliament assembled.-
GENTLEMEN,- The petition of the undersigned settlers and ratepayers in
the Municipality of Chilliwhack, New Westminster District, humbly sheweth-
From our experience in the working of the "Municipality Act, 188l," we
find that the following sections and sub-sections cause a great deal of
dissatisfaction, and would respectfully ask your honourable body to alter
and amend them so as to remove doubts as to the true intent or meaning,
and, also, to place the management of the liquor licenses in the hands
of the people, which, in our opinion, would give general satisfaction,
and we would respectfully suggest the following amendments, viz:- Section
110, sub-section 22. That this license should be obtained in the same manner
as ordinary liquor licenses, as the Courts of this District have decided
that this same mode of procedure was not necessary. Section 113. That the
penal clause is capable of such elasticity as to make it difficult to prove
a violation, on account of there being four different expressions, as you
will observe, viz:- " No person shall use, practice, carry on or exercise,"
whereas we think some one comprehegnsive expression would make it satisfactory.
Section 152 should be amended so as to empower the Mayor, or Reeve and
Council to grant liquor licenses, they being responsible to the people,
whereas at present they are not; and, also, that liquor licenses should
be granted for one year, and that application must be made for a renewal,
and that the license fee for selling liquors should be doubled. And your
Petitioners, &c.,
William Prest Alex Cruikshanks G.H. Hodgson C.E. Knight A.C. Wells
J.T. Wilkinson Chas. Stephens A.S. Vedder S.A. Ashwell William Gill Geo.
A. Caughill A. Vedder Cornelius Bryant Sarah Campbell S.L. Ford V. Vedder
Daniel Nicholson Albion Chase A. Evans S. Knight Patrick McGrath James
H. McGuire Jane Evans J. Tate C.M. Tate 0.J. Anderson Chas. H. Evans M.E.
Tate Wm. Spence Rand Whitfield Cath. Dumvill E.A. Wells Sarah McConnell
M. Gillanders Theophilus Dumvill W.B. Hall R. Carnpbell Milton Gilbert
Minnie J. Pike Geo. W. Chadsey Jessie M. Campbell