LICENSING COMMITTEE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 134, 2 March 1920, Page 8

LICENSING COMMITTEE

CONDUCT OF NEW COMMERCIAL HOTEL. The quarterly-meeting of tho Wellington District Licensing' Committoe was hold at the courthouse! yesterday. Mr. W. G. Biddell, S.M., presided. Messrs. G. Tiller, J. J. Pctherick, J. Smith/and G. Hclyer were also present. The chairman said that the report on the conduct of the hotels of the licensing district was satisfactory. : The Report, Mr. W. B. M'llveney, _ Inspector of I'olice and Inspector of Licensed Houses, reported as follows:--Generally speak'ng, the hotels have been well conducted; in fact, since the last quarterly mocting there has been a marked improvement in a good number of them. Betteß supervision uns been very noticeable, "The new licensee of the New Commercial Hotel, Mr. Boyle, improved matters there, and if his present supervis on and control can be taken as n criterion of what he. will generally exercise in that direction, I anticipate that grounds for complaint, will not in future exist to anything like the extent to which they obtained in the past. "The Britannia. Hotel was recently found to be in a filthy condition. Action was forthwith taken under the provisions .of section 161 of the Licensiiij; Act, 1908. Within a few weeks it will be in excellent order, and newly furnished throughout," In dealing with the New Commercial Hotel, Mr. M'llveney said that s'nee making the foregoing report the.conduct of tho hotel had not been what he would have liked. He had had occasion to 'bring before the notice of ■ Mr. Boyle (licensee) and Mrs. Dnrrant (lessee) the provisions of section 171 of the Licensing Act, i.e., forfeiture of license. Unless.Mrs. Dnrrant refrained from participation in the control of vhe house he would have to intervene. She was practically directiV the operations of the new licensee.

The chairman pointed out that the annual nicet'ng of the Licensing Committee, would be held in .Time next, and that th« committee waßmot satisfied with the method or methods adopted by Jli*. Durrant during the timo she was licensee of the' establishment. It was necessary for her to allow Mr. Epylo to conduct ■ the hobl in his own way. Tf he ivero nut allowed to do.so'the committee •would consider -whether the licenso should be renewed at the annual meeting. When the l : cense wort granted to Mr. Boyle, it wns-one of the arrangements t';nt Mm. Durrani: should take no part in the conduct of the hotel.

Transfers Approved. The following transfers were approved:— ■, Te Aro Hotel: Percy Rogers to Richard Ingram Low. Brunswick Hotel: G. H. Tilley to A. W. IMbrook.

• Post Ofiico Hotel: Jr. W. Muir to John Berryman.

New Commercial Hotel: Chnrlotto Jane Durrant to Charles Boyle. New Occidental Hotel: Thomas Kingston to William Beveridge.