The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5219, 13 December 1877, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1877.

It is satisfactory to have the assurance of the Minister of Justice that the Government intend to introduce a new licensing law next session applicable to the whole colony. The manner in which the Wellington Licensing Commissioners at their last meeting granted a license for Mr. Plimmer’s house, whilst refusing the applications made for Mr. Moody’s, Mr. Margetts’, and Mr. Duff’s,, has been very generally commented upon; and it seems to be very generally felt that an injustice was done on that occasion. We are no advocates for the indiscriminate granting ,of public-house licenses; but when really first-class houses are erected, capable of giving an ample accommodation to travellers and families, and a very large amount of capital is laid out upon them, it is but reasonable that licenses should be granted. If the principle of closing mere drinking shops and licensing only “hotels” in the propersense of the term were adopted, few could find fault with it. With a few exceptions, the Wellington licensed houses are well conducted, possibly as well as in anypart of the British dominions; but some of the houses are not built with a view to accommodate the class of visitors we have spoken of. Now, Mr. Plimmer’s house does fulfil the requirements of a family hotel, and very properly a license was given to it; but would not Mr. Moody’s house supply a want which will be felt by travellers as soon as the tramway is open, standing as it does close to the southern terminus of the line, and with no house in the immediate vicinity 1 Then, again, as to Mr. Margetts’ house in Torystreet, can any one say that it is not adapted for a first-class hotel 1 Even the Inspector of Police, who is not thought to be favorable to granting new licenses, said at the meeting referred to that he endorsed everything that was said in its favor by the counsel who supported the application. As to Mr. Duff’s, it is in every way a fit and proper house to be licensed as an hotel; and yet licenses were refused to these three houses and granted to the fortunate fourth. The opinion expressed by Mr. Sheehan —that the old system of having applications for licenses dealt with by the full bench of magistrates in the district, instead of by a few specially selected from that body, was a better plan of the two —will, we think, be very generally concurred in. To refer once more to what occured at the last licensing meeting here. Two of the commissioners, it is pretty wellunders toed, were in favor of granting the license for Mr. Plimmer’s house, and two against it; but one of them, being the chairman, had a casting vote, which he gave in favor of the application. Therefore it was only by a very narrow.shave indeed that this eligible" family hotel was licensed. With a full bench of magistrates there can be little doubt that the license would have been granted by a large majority, and that the other houses to which we have referred would also have received licenses. Some stress has been laid in certain quarters on the fact that a petition, very largely signed, was presented to the Bench recently against the granting of any more licenses; but we feel quite certain that a numerously signed document on the other side could also have been presented. In fact were the whole town polled it would greatly surprise us if a very large majority indeed did not vote in favor of licenses being granted to all the houses we have named, and that were Mr. Fox’s Local Bill in force the licenses would not have been vetoed by the residents in the particular district in which the house is situated. Undoubtedly the present licensing law requires amendment, and if the Government during the recess prepares a sensible and business-like Bill on the subject, it will, we believe, meet with very general favor on all sides of the House. Either an increase should be made in the number of the Licensing Commissioners or the old system should be reverted to. The present mode of granting or refusing a license offers far too great an opportunity for the exercise of arbitrary power. It discourages the outlay of capital in a very legitimate direction, especially in this city, where the supply of really first-class family hotels is not large in proportion to the population of the place and the wants of the travelling public. As we have before said, we are not advocating a license being granted to every applicant who makes one, but to those only whose houses come up to the standard pointed out, and which can be shown to be wanted, as we contend was the case with the hotels referred to, for which licenses were refused at the last sitting of the Wellington Licensing Court.