BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3778, 17 December 1907, Page 3

BOROUGH COUNCIL.

jHKi' |#lPpeeial meeting of the Coun|%|&iP;was held last night 'in order to by-laws dealing with the of billiard saloons, etc. Present : Worship the Mayor (B. G. :Esq.) and Crs Coley, Gray, A. E. Shadbolt, Heunessy, Stiles, and Baker. Clerk read a copy of the borough' by-laws dealwith - boarding houses and bilsaloons. discussion ensued as to what iljAihouses •' should be defined as i.e. those where accommodation could be n?lfobtained. Cr Coley held that all ' places where boarders were taken .in,should be licensed. He had in tyis possession a list containing 40 such houses in the borough. He stated that in one bouse of four \.- ■ rooms four boardei s were kept. If .•/-parlour boarders were accommof j dated, (lodgers who had the run of the house) than such occupiers ■' would not be called upon to pay a ■' . license. It would mean that only ■ three houses would be taxed out of ■ 40. In reply to a Councillor. , Cr Coley said the Town Clerk ‘," would be the inspector. ;■ iHie Clerk stated the matter of '■ • insgrection would be carried out by ; thg Building Inspector and Health .‘Dqjartment. iK ' t ‘ On the motion of Cr Prank land, seconded by Cr Wilson, it was proV, posed that the annual license fee !'' for lodging houses be half-a-guinea; In speaking to the reso- ' lution Cr Frankland regretted . t,hat the Act operated unfairly and that the Council were only able to . tax those who could least afford it k while those better able to pay were exempt. It meant a loss of revenue. The fee proposed was small and unappreciable. Cr Wilson endorsed the previous speaker’s remarks, , - Cr Baker asked why this matter had been sprung upon the Council. Had the police been r ; been complaining. ; • The Mayor explained that it ,• was necessary to farme a by-law - dealing with the pf licensing lodging of houses and billiard beer? saloons. The matter had accentuated becaues lodging /'hduse keepers had refused to pay > the.annual license fee. Cr Stiles said it was a pity that the by-law did not apply to all - places where boarders were taken • jn. (-• The resolution was put and carried unanimously. Cr Baker moved and Cr Stiles seconded that the annual license fee for billiard saloons be 40s. ' 1 Cr Baker said that a higher fee mi&ht restrict the number of \. saloons. Saloon keepers should be ), prepared to pay more than lodgingK. ■ house licenes 1 . Cr Frankland asked. what the ' ’ aferage fee was throughout the - ■ ;Cr Stiles said billiard saloons ' , praised fire premiums on adjacent : /- - ,Cr Hennessy: Make it a |y* t y&r.' , said he had not heard |F any complaints made in reference y- >to any of the local saloons. The Clerk said the fee charged ®y in-Palmerston was £l. -Cr Baker said this Council was not bound to be led by what Pal- ' merstpn or any other place charged. ’ .nkland moved and Cr a, ■ Wilson seconded an amendment that 4he annual fee be £l. ■' Cr Frankland said billiards were ’ a /sCientific game, and a harmy . lesspastime for young people- It |g■ was a favourite ' pastime ot the • great Herbert Spencer. ; Cr Wilson said a guinea license hfee was quite sufficient. It enabled poorer people who could not afford to erect a private table, an of enjoying a game. \ 'The amendment was carried, y .The time of closing saloons was considered. Cr Wilson was pyjogposed to altering the time of viz., n o’clock, Hennessy would like to test W 1 :tt)xefeeling_of the Council. Baker asked why saloons not be compelled to close :;?;.; ( 'th]Same time as hotels, lo p.m. Stiles moved, and Cr Baker that 10 o’clock p.m. be for closing of billiard

Stiles, in speaking to the said the same hours sjfipffld be observed for the closing and billiard rooms. Baker said young people should not be encouraged to remain out late at night. Labouring ipenralso needed a fair amount of rest. Frankland : What will the yjbung, people do after they leave billiard saloons, if they are closed Baker said that the police Wjjuld look after them. Continuing'gCr Baker said that men relied to the billiard rooms after jßfflranubs were closed, sometimes we worse for liquor. The police fejd spoken in opposition of saloons Bw||r' 'kept open after the public closed. suggested that affipSes be closed at 10 p.m. Safer Wilson moved, and Cr Gray SpWgdnded an amendment that |j|ipjms be alosed at 11 p.m. , Wilson said the Council ;riot deprive the billiardof their living. He jgHraxipt heap! any complaints in jHgence to the conduct of the SSkteWell conducted. : endorsed Cr Wilson’s reference to the good mPgact- of the saloons. tiles said publicans were |pMa!rged a license fee of a year, P^fewere., compelled to close at - Ife failed to see why di: disereat jate between hotels and billiard t;.iA,l'."’ ’? L 1

saloons. He not heard any complaints as to the conduct ot the saloons, but was of opinion that it was in the best interests to close at 10 p.m. The billiard rooms in hotels had to be closed at 10 p.m. The amendment was carried, the voting being, for: Crs Wilson, Coley, Gray, Shadbolt and Frankland ; against Crs Stiles, Baker, and Hennessy, Cr Frankland asked the Mayor how he voted and in reply the Mayor said he would support the motion as he considered 10 o’clock quite late enough for saloons to remain open. The amendment that saloons remain open till xi p.m. was therefore adopted. Cr Bakex brought up the necessity ol erection of brick dividing walls for all premises in future to be erected in Main St. This suggestion was greeted with a chorus of “ hear hears ” from Councillors. After a lengthly discussion the following resolution was carried : Proposed by Cr Baker and seconded by Cr Stiles, that it become a by-law that all new buildings such as shops, offices, etc., in the Main Street, shall have dividing brick walls erected, the dimensions of same shall be as follows: for a twostoreyed building 14 inch work for first storey and nine inch the balance, and for a single storey it shall be 9 inch, the height of such wall shall be 24 inches above the guttering of the adjacent building. It was resolved to adopt rules of debate contained in by-laws adopted in 1888.

It was decide to call fresh applications for position of ranger. The following holidays to be observed by the Council’s employees were agreed upon : Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Anniversary Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, King’s Birthday, and Labour Day.