ST. BATHANS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 271, 16 May 1874, Page 3

ST. BATHANS.

(To the Editor of the Mount Ida. Chronicle.) . May 10th, 1874. Sir, —Be good enough to give space in your valuable columns for the few iollowmg remarks about the cancelling of the. publicans' licenses. . In the first place there is something strange about the Provincial''Government'refusing a large portion of their revenue, as it appears to me that they are doing, and without any grounds of complaint. I will now take my own case as an example, and I could mention many other .cases similar to my own. I have been a licensed victualler since the year 1865, and have never had but one complaint from the police, and I believe my house is known to be one of the best conducted houses in the district. I will now mention the value of the license. I consider it a mere farce to give a man a general license without the general night license, as one is almost valueless without the other ; and I should also like to know what allowance is made by the gentlemen framing the New Licensed Victuallers Act, or those placed in power lo curtail all these licenses, as to the amount of accommodation required for a day license on the GoJdfield. It cannot possibly be necessary for the same amount of accommodation as the other houses that have got the full license; and it is a great hardship for one or two houses in the small township of St. Batlians to be closed at 10 p.m., when other two houses are allowed to keep open till 12 p.m. I must state that St. Bathaus is a small place leading to nowhere, and is entirely self-supporting; and I believe the people of St. Baihans are the most energetic aud respectable in Otago. I must say that.l have been one of the most energetic men in t,hc district, in the shape of' public business. I have always been the first to move in the establishment of any institution for a public good, namely, the school, the church, the Sludge Channel, and lately have spent about £IBOO in a mining speculation, and was the cause of New Dry bread being rushed, and the township being built, and the rccompence T got for my perseverance is (he cancelling of the mainspring of a publican's license, namely, the night license. It is lo be hoped that the Government will look' into this state of things. Give this small privilege to all those that have been established for many years, and are willing to pay. I think there would have been some reason in the Licensing- Bench giving to all those already licensed their first license, but refusing to gi ant any-new ones, as the population is increasing, and all; the accommodation now will be required.' —I am, &c.,

G. H. Smith