EXTRA HOTEL AND BULK LIQUOR LICENSE SOUGHT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 30, 26 August 1949, Page 5

EXTRA HOTEL AND BULK LIQUOR LICENSE SOUGHT

“It is an obvious thing and has been right along that Whakatane/ should have a wholesale license. There is none nearer than Tauranga. We know there will be quite a few applying here and I would like to see one of them get it.” In those words the president of the Whakatane Chamber of Commerce, Mr R. T. Morpeth, at Wednesday night’s general meeting signified his support of a proposal that the Chamber should place evidence before the Licensing Control Commission in an endeavour to obtain a wholesale liquor license for Whakatane.

The Chamber accepted the proposal unanimously, and also agreed to urge the necessity of another hotel in the district, but made it clear it was seeking amenities for the town, not backing any individuals’ applications for licenses.

A sub-committee comprising Messrs B. L. Butler, T. M. Wilkes and S. Cave w*as appointed to assemble the evidence and present it to the Commission, which will probably hear evidence from this district at Rotorua in October. ,Mr N. H. E. Hockin will act as secretary to the sub-committee, which was instructed to seek the collaboration of the local member of the Licensing Committee, Mr A. Nicol, and to call for evidence from any organisations or individuals who considered they had relevant points to raise.

All agreed that there was ample need for a wholesale wine and spirit merchant here to serve these who find it inconvenient to go to an hotel bar every time they want a drink. It was pointed out that the only present alternatives to the hotel bar were to order in advance through a booking agent or send right out of the town altogether and stand freight charges. Mr L. King said there was a strong case for another hotel, and Mr S. Cave backed him up. They said the two existing houses could not possibly cope with the accommodation problem. While Mr King was prepared to agree with another speaker that it might not be possible to get another hotel license at this stage, he said the time was ripe to place the evidence before the Commission and, if they wanted the accommodation problem eased they should “go in boots and all.”