MARSDEN,

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1467, 17 April 1873, Page 3

MARSDEN,

. (JPROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) April 16. All the residents of Marsden prior to the land sale were congratulating themselves that the possession of a freehold would exempt them from the necessity of taking out a business license, and, as profits are new small and business dull, this saving was looked forward to with much satisfaction, but, alas ! for the poor publi- ' cans who had been paying their conditional license, they were not to be let off so easily, as the sequel will show. The County authorities, no doubt to keep up their income, and to anticipate their loss in business licenses, have come to the conclusion to issue no more conditional licenses, which 3imply means raising the the publican's license from L2O to L3O per annum. This mandate is supposed to apply to Marsden township. Now this is manifestly unjust to those who reside there, and likewise bad in policy, tending to encourage illicit trading and preventing persons from taking out licenses. The law, as it now is, provides for conditional licenses, and stipulates that there must be certain accommodation. The Marsden publicans have been put to extra expense in doing so, and must how pay the additional fee or close their doors. If the County exchequer is bankrupt it is no reason why. injustice should be done to

any body of colonists ; besides, it is questionable whether the County revenue will not be reduced by it. If the opposite course had been adopted, most likely other hotels would have been opened and other parties have been induced to settle. Business, however, now, is so depressed that the imposition of this extra tax will press most heavily on those who do not do a large business and can ill afford it, and the County authorities will find there is such a thing as killing the goose for the sake of its eggs. There i» another little affair connected with the granting of publicans' licenses that requires to be commented on, for it seems that while they are now particular in not granting licenses to single women in accordance with public opinion, they are now reported as carrying it out by including widows also in the catalogue of single women. However desirable it may be that single women shall not be permitted to sell spirituous liquor, it was never intended that widows of irreproachable characters should be included in the category. It is said that a widow, whose husband met his death by accident a few months since, has been refused a license on the ground that she is a single person. There certaiuly requires to be some discrimination, but where there is no cause of complaint, to refuse a poor widow of the means of getting a living is a hardship that nothing can justify. It is not sufficient that a wife becomes deprived of her natural protector; then the County authorities step in and prohibit her getting a living for her family.

The action of the County Council in raising the tolls on the Christcliurch road is much commented on. It may be very well to get a greater income, but when that tax is likely to raise the price of our beef and mutton it becomes bad, and all butchers in favor of raising the tolls on the Christchurch road will be accu&ed of having an eye to raising the price of beef and mutton accordingly. It is said that the wholesale dealers purpose defeating the exorbitant demands of the County Council by selling their cattle at the Ahaura, and so keep down prices.