ASHBURTON LICENSING COMMITTEE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1783, 7 March 1888, Page 2

ASHBURTON LICENSING COMMITTEE

A quarterly meeting ' of the Ashburton Licensing Committee was held at noon today. Present — Meaßts T Soaly (m the chair) R. Alcom, D. McLean and A. Harrison. .

W- ftedmood made appllca'ion that a transfer of the license of Central Hotel from J. W. Mcßae to himself be granted.

Mr Crisp appeared m support of the appl'catton. Sergeant Felton Bald that ho would not oppose the application, but at the same time, he would like the Bench to warn Mr Redmond as to hia future conduct of the license. Four oomplaints as to

drunkenness being permitted at the house

had bßen made ainca the present applicant took charge, but io view of the Ohrletohurob. Inspector of Police giviug Mr Redmond an excellent character while he

was at the Gladstone Hotel, he (Sergeant

Felton) w^uld make no objection to the transfer being granted, but he would like

the Benoh to Inform Mr Redmond that complaints had bee a made and warn him as to his future conduct.

Mr Crisp did not t)&k the Bench should attach any weight to Sergeant

Felton'a statement. If drunkenness bad

been permitted Redmond waa amenable to the law, and the proper course won d bave been to have laid a information against him. Then It coald have been seen who made the charges He did not require to point oat that a neir man had much difficulty to contend witb, because a oertaln aeotlon of the publlo, known an " hard cases 9 were always ready to take advantage of the fact that they were not known to him. He referred to the excellent character that the Ohrlstoharoh police gave Redmond.

Sergeant Felton said that he agreed with Mr Crisp as to the " hard cases" taking advantage of a new man, and it was on' account of that and the good character the applicant had received that no objection was now made. Mr Redmond had now received warning and if any future cause of complaint arose, be would be assuredly brought before the Court,

Sergeant Felton further referred to a olauae m the Police report which drew at* tention to then* c?sslty of fire escapes beiog provided. Tneßjnoh would remember that «t Blenheim a snort time ago two lives were lost because of there being no facilities to escape from a burning hotel. Mr Crisp promised that his client would provide fire eßOapes.

Some discussion ensued as the deficiency of fire escapes In the other licensed houses m the Borough.

After some deliberation the Committee said that they were willing to grant the transfer of the license fur the present, but they reserved to themselves the power to reconsider their decision, at an ttdj )orned meeting to be held m a mouth's time, if there were auy oumplaluts daring the interim. The Oomailttea were also of opiuion that before the ad j inrned meeting the other lloensees ehould be called upon to provide fire escapes It. was most imperative that this should be dune In a plsca like this where the buildings were of wood, aud In f«ot, the Committee would Inbiat on It. The Police should inspect the houeeß and report as to the number requisite. Sergeant Felton explained that this had been done. He had visited the hottls on Monday, and m the rep >rt now before the Committee was stat d the number of fire escapes required by each. It waa now for the Committee to confirm the report, and if the hotelkeepers did not «ttend to it the Committee would have power to cancel their licences. The number of escapes required by the respective hotels was as follows:— Somerset, 2 rope, the licensee having already provided 3 iron ; Butler's, 2 Iron, 5 rope ; Central, 3 Iron, 3 cope ; Commercial, 3 Iroo, 4 ropa ; Ashburton, 2 iron, 4 rope ; Royal, 2 iron, 4 rope

The Bench decided that the number of escapee mentioned above waa necessary, and the meeting was adjourned for a month In order that licensees might provide their houses with the escapes as directed by the Committee.