LICENSING COURT.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2395, 6 December 1881, Page 3

LICENSING COURT.

QUABTEBLY SESSIONS.

I'UEBDAT, DbCKMSKB 6.

(Before G. L. Mellish (Chairman), B. J. 8. Harman, and G. L. Lee, Commissioners.)

The Court sat at noon this day. Applications pob New Licenses.—Mr Thomas, on behalf of G. P. Kissel, applied for a hotel license for premises lately orectod at Templeton. Mr Stringer, on the part of Mr G. Simmonds, of the George and Dragon, opposed the application. Mr Thomas quoted from a newspaper report of the June sitting of the Court, which stated that the Bench promised Mr Kissel if he erected suitable promises. Mr Kissel had gone on at once with the building, but did not succeed in getting it ready by the following sitting of the Court. The place, however, was now completed, and ready for occupation. Mr Stringer doubted the accuracy of the newspaper report, and one of the Commissioners who was on the Bench at the June sitting thought that no express promise had been mado to Mr Kissel. Mr Thomas said he was prepared to go into the witness box and testify to the correctness of the report in the newspaper. Mr Stringer went on to say that his client had a good house within a mile of Mr Kissel's place ; it was well conducted, and it would be a manifest injustice to Mr Bimmonds to grant' another license where the wants of the population were sufficiently supplied by him. Mr Stringer produced a petition which he was proceeding to road, when Mr Thomas objected that the document was an old one signed months ago in support of another application, and the chairman said the petition oould not be mado use of. Mr Stringor further said that as the new Licensing Act would shortly come into foroe, it would bo but fair to allow the question of granting this license to be decided under the local option clauses by the people resident in the neighborhood. There was also a teohnical objection, inasmuch as the notice of the application was not according to the Act. Mr Thomoa replied. He said that before the June sitting Mr Kissel had no desiro to build; that proceeding was in a manner forced upon him by the Bench. The chairman said there was no official record of such a promise as had boen spoken of by Mr Thomas; Mr Lee, who had boen on the Bench at tho time, had no recollection of it. This being so, the Court did not eeo its way to grant the application ; they thought that, in view of the cominp into force of the new Act, this and all similar cases should bs left to the result of the operation of the local option clauses. Later, Mr Thomac pointed out that Mr Kissel was now in this position. He held a license for wine and beer. The now Aot made no provision for that class of license, therefore, in June next ho would find himself without any kind of license, and a building which had cost him £ISOO on his hands. The Chairman said that no doubt the new Commissioners, when thoy came into office, would see that bo ii.justice was dona. Mr Thomaß opined that, with an elected Bench, the result of their decisions might be the wiping out of all applications. —Mr Button mentioned an application by George Edward Wethered for a hotel license for premises at Sumner, but he said if the principle laid down by the Court in Mr Kissel's caso —if the Bench preferred to leave to their successors and to the local option clauses tho settlement of all now applications, he thought it would be of no use to waste the time of the Court with what he had got to say.—Mr Mellish|aaid that might be taken for granted. Tho application, consequently, was not persevered with. Teansi'bes. Tho following temporary transfers were oonfirmed :—Dovery to Gillon, Garrick Hotel; Day to Milnei, Hotol, Sumner,