NEW HOTEL LICENSE.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16263, 13 July 1918, Page 10

NEW HOTEL LICENSE.

GRANTED IN FACE OF STRONG

OPPOSITION

(PBESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.)

OPOTIKI, July 12.

At the" adjourned meeting of the Bay of Plenty .Licensing Committee jesterday, application was mado by John Peebles for an accommodation license at Tauoatua. Mr Elhott appeared for the applicant. The application was opposed by Mr Seiwyn .nays on behalf oi tne police. __t • A lotior irom the Bishop or \\ aiapu, protesting against, tne granting of a license on the ground of tiie menace to the Urewera natives, was read. Air Elliott said iie was now in a position to prove tnat a vacancy existed. Since tiie last meeting, the Atiainun license had lapsed. He handed m documents showing that the license leo had not been paid, and the licensee had abandoned the premises on J line 30th. In view of the decision in the- case, v. O'D-onnell, Mr Elliott applied lor a license for Peebles at TaneaThe chairman. (Mr Dyer, 8.M.), said he had received plans of tho proposed additions to the proposed licensed premises. . .. Mr Elliott undertook, if a license wer© gran tod, that thoso additions would be made, with any other additions necessary. Mr Elliott called three witnesses, including the brother of the applicant and the agont who collected signatures in favour of the license. They stated that accommodation was inadequate since the applicant closed the boardinghouse. Under cross-examination, all said they hoped the license would benefit business in the town. They wanted to see the town progress, and wanted an improvement in tho value of the property. Thoy also admitted that for some years past the town had been stagnant. Mr Mays pointed out tnat tho Court of Appeal had laidit down that when a license was required in a neighbour"hood, it must be considered from an administrative and police standpoint. The fact that the Atiamuri license might be lost to tho district should not bias the Committee in favour of the application, as the applicants took that risk. Rua's period of probation would expire in August, and it was a serious responsibility to grant a license five miles from his boundary. Taneatua was an important farming district, and mainlv dependent on native labour. Tho establishment of a license would mal«» labour conditions chaotic. Tho tendency at the present time was to restrict the consumption of liquor, ana the responsibility on the Committos was a grave one. Constable Cummings, wrho has "boon stationed at. for night years, and who has an intimate knowledge of the natives and liquor t-rmi-bios, inMiiflinjr the prosecution of Ktitt in' 1915 and 1916, strongly opposed the granting of the license in the public interest. There had been no comolaint of shortage of accommodation at Tnnwi. tna. If any lack of accommodation existed, it was -duo to the applicant closing the boarding-house eighteen months ago. If the license were granted, nn oxpcrioncod police officer must be'permanently stationed at Taneatua, unnd that was "impossible at the present time. „ John Hannah, Public Works in charge of the construction of the Tauranga-Opotiki railway, stated that the line would pass through a portion of Tanoatua, and a lifelong experience of public works showed that a licensed house in tho vicinity of such was highly detrimental to the workers and the public interest. The gangs became disorganised after pay day, and tho loss of efficiency amounted to as much jas five days monthly. Similar reasons were largely instrumental in the refusal of the Oakleigh license last year, v Andrew Stewart, assistant Public Works engineer, fully corroborated Hannah's evidence. Five Taneatua settlers, who have been identified with the settlement almost since its inception, and representing large producing interests, opposed the license on the grounds that most of the farmers wcro almost entirely dependent on native labour, and the license would seriously endanger tho position, and undoubtedly disturb tho poaco of the"" neighbourhood. There was no genuine local demand for the license. A bad feature was the proximity of the proposed hotel to the school. From a national point of view, they felt strongly that tho application should be rejected. Te Powhare, an influential Ruatoki native, formerly chairman, and for seventeen yoars a member of the Matatua District Maori Council, said lie had been deputed by a general meeting of four tribes _to opposo the license on their behalf." Ho informed tho Bench that all broad-minded natives were opposed to the license. Sergeant Ferguson, in charge of the district, including .Taneatua, corroborated the evidence of Constable Cummings. luspector Sheeilian, in charge of the whole police district, informed tho Committee that it would be absolutely essential to station an experienced constable at Tanoatua if the license were grapted. The police force was much under strength, and the Department was unable to staff much more important places. Ho had had a long experience of Public Works gangs in tho vicinity of hotels, and fully endorsed Mr Hannah's evidence. He predicted grave trouble with the ITro ' wora native? if the license wore established. Under present conditions, especially, no Committee would be justified in granting tho, application. A rcmnrkable feature of the evidpnee in opposition to the license was that out of the'twelve witnesses called, only one was a Prohibitionist.

After a retirement of forty minutes, the chairman announced that a majority of the Committee had decided to grant tho application. The four elected members were for the application, and the chairman against. At the request of the' Committee, the chairman announcod the reasons of the majority, which, shortly, wore: —The result of the last Committee election, that a house was required in the neighbourhood, and tho danger to tho natives was exaggerated. The chairman's reasons against the license were:—H) Tho evidence did not show that the liconse was required. /?) The evidence showed a boarding-house without a license was quite sufficient. (S) The menace to the natives was real. His own experience showed the terrible havoc wronrrht by liquor among the Maoris. (4) There were already too many facilities for natives to get liquor: the proximitv of Taneahta to the Urewem would makf> matters worse. (51 The universal tendency today to restrict the consumption of linuorduring the war—the exnmpleof 6 o'clock closing find anti-sh<vntin<r. To grant the application would traverse this principle. Moreover, it was obvions the .Atinmnri lions© did not nay, but at Tanentua a license was bein<i soueht because on an increased consumption of litrnor it would nay. IW In face of tho example of the world's leaders rn abandoning the consnmnt'on of licmor. ho could not f N "s"icnti"" , :ly support the granting of the application.