LICENSING BENCH.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1160, 22 June 1911, Page 2

LICENSING BENCH.

A BRIEF MEETING. Tlio adjournal annual meeting of the Wellington Licensing Committee was continued yesterday in llic Magistrate's Court. There wore present Dr. A. M'Arthur (chairman), anil Jlossrs. W. J. llclyor, E. J. Petherick, E. Tiller, J. Smith, and Ci. W. Wilton.

Mr. .}. M'Grath appeared in support of an application for a permanent transfer <>f the Royal Hotel from 13. Fair to 0. Harrison. 'The application was granted anil the license renewed.

Appearing in support, of ail application for a transfer of the license of the Clyde IJuay Jlotel from Andrew iSellar to Robert Thomas. M'Farlane, and for a renewal of the license, llr. Ward mentioned that lie had produced a document between tho parties relating to a certain loan. It was primarily ior the production of this document that tlio case had been adjourned from the annual meeting of tlio committee. Answering the chairman, Mr. Ward slated that tile money was still owing.

l ie chairman: "But that debt must bo settled or the .£SOO must bo taken over by somebody else. He cannot have.that debt owing under such peculiar circumstances. The police cannot be bothered with an outside debt of that description, which permits of tlio person going to tlio house and creating a disturbance at any time.

Mr. Ward said, ho understood (ha money was being repaid at the rate of .£.5 per week.

Tlio chairman: "It will take a very long time to pay off JCSOO at .£5 per week. J he woman to whom ho owes the money is in the hotel whenever slio likes, and we arc not going to stand it. His license will not be renewed. We insist that tlio person who is lending the £500 is not a desirable person, and has been found about hotels when sho has had 110 business to ho there. Jn tho meantime the application for a renewal will bo adjourned sine die."

11l answer to further arguments of counsel, Dr. M'Artbur risked if Mr. Ward ivfls prepared to Rive his firm's undertaking in the matter, but this . counsel was not prepared (o do, requesting tii.it the application be adjourned till the next quarterly meeting. Finally the transfer was granted, \ind I the application for a'renewal of the license was held over until September; (!. alio next application considered was one b.V A. E. Hhultze, for a renewal-of bis wholesale license. Mr. E. G. Jellicoo appeared in support of the application. At Iho annual meeting: of the committee the ease bad been adjourned, in view of ol>jeelions raised by the police, and in order that evidence .might be led. Doyle, called bv Inspector Ellison, deposed that, 011 May (i, ho watched the premises of Mr. Shullze. Between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8.15 p.m. he saw a number of persons enter iho fehop and como out with small parcels. At 8.5 p.m. ho saw all express leave tho place with a load of bottled beer. Witness watched the fihop on May 13. Mar 20, and May 27. On May 13, lie again a» express leave with a load of beer, rvono of the persons who left the shop with parcels bad taken anything of the kind m with them. Witness had, on one occasion, examined Mr. Shultze's books, and had found an order bv one person for wo dozen pints ,of beer, only two of which had been taken away. Inspector Ellison gave cvidenco similar lo (lint by the constable. To Mr. Jellieoo: He did not allege that persons had been supplied with liquor for the purpose of sly grog-selling in prohibited areas. He thought that it was contrary to law for a wholesalo dealer to deliver at one time less than two gallons of liquor, and was of, opinion that tbo wholesalo dealers were well advised, in regard to the requirements of tho law. The Licensing Committee did not issue any instructions in regard to tlin Ijnes upon which tho investigation should be carried out, but they had asked for ,information: :.rcg.tr,ding -persons who tho; ■lialico "considered- werp ,n6t carrying out .IJieir _ business properly; The. investiga-'ij(HV^yus.T.nnt'*.<)ai;ried;'Ont'-b(",causo an obShultze's license when tys application vasMast bcfpre'tho eolnmittee. - .Witness had known •'Mr. 1 Sllultze about n.ijio years, 'mit had never been in his shot>-'®i;did,n6t' ) ' from time to time,. mspeot;tlio lioolcs of whole.kleilc.doners—ho'liad ;no statutory right to do so. He had previously objected to Mr. Shultze's licriise.

'At this stage the meeting was further adjourned till Monday next, at 9 a.m.