HOTEL PREMISES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 3 September 1942, Page 5

HOTEL PREMISES

ABSENCE OF LICENSEE s :, ) COMMITTEE NOT NOTIFIED > Rotorua, Sept. 2. ; * The unusual position of a licensee ' being absent from hotel premises for t three months without the knowledge of the police was reported at the quart- ’ erly meeting of the Rotorua District ! 7 Licensing Committee. The premises con- _ cerned were those of the Rangitaiki ! j Hotel, on the highway between Taupo ! , and Napier. Inspector E. J. Carroll stated that [ , the licensee. William Edward Gussey* had left without giving notification, and j :[ that the hotel had been without a 7 licensee since April last. He said that 1 Gussey had been the licensee for some { ‘ 18 months, a sub-licensee having been j unable to procure the necessary cer- i 7 tificate. Apparently, as a result of a 1 difference of opinion between this man i ' and Gussey. the latter had left the | hotel. TR ADE PR A ('TIC ALL Y DISAPPEARED Constable McNulty, of Taupo, stated j that it was only in August that he had become aware that Gussey had left Under the present conditions, the trade ! - of the hotel, which had been dependent i mainly. upon passing motorists and i s forestry workers, had practically dis- I * appeared. Subsequent efforts had been ( made to secure another licensee. Gus- j J say had been called up for the Army, i j and had left the premises two weeks i ? before he had been obliged to enter < camp. The police had previously no j complaint to make against the conduct J of the hotel. j The chairman, Mr S. L. Paterson. S.M.. commented that, as the licensee had left in April, the fact should have been notified at the annual meeting of the committee in June. ) ADJOURNMENT GRANTED * Counsel for the owners, Mr Davys, i ? said that a licensee had now been found j 1 and the necessary papers filed for a I ' transfer of the license, should the com- j mitlee agree to such a course. The j \ owners did not want to close the prem- j ises down, as the hotel was a con- • venience to the public in the isolated | country, and would be subject to vandalism and depreciation if closed. He asked that an adjournment be allowed to permit the owners to make further s submission. 1 The chairman declared that the ? owners must have known the position, i and that they should have acquainted the committee with the true position J i long before the present meeting, r The committee announced that it was j -• of the opinion that, the license should j - be cancelled, but had decided to adjourn I the meeting until ‘29th September, so j h that further submissions could be made { by the owners.—P.A.