LICENSING COURT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5531, 18 December 1878, Page 3

LICENSING COURT.

Tuesday, December 17. .. An adjourned meeting of tho Wellington District Licensing Court was held at Present—Commissioners Mansford, it.ll, (in tho chair), Moore, and Holdsworth. , „ , Mr. Oliivier, before the ordinary business was called on, wished 'o invite the Bench to pass an opinion on a proposal to erect a new house, In accordance with the expressed determination of tho Chairman to encourage applications being made before the parties seeking licenses tor new houses had gone too far with the expenditure of their capital. Mr. Bertie, who was a man of some experience in the hotel business, and whe had acquired a reputation as a good manager of premises of that 'ascription, eontomplated tho erection of a largo and commodious hotel at the junction of Wallace and Hankey streets, a neighborhood which at present was not supplied with a hotel Tho building would be very diff rent in point of accommodation to any which had yet been built in that portion of the city. It was intended to put up a large family hotel, containing twonty-flvo rooms, all of which wore to be of largo dimensions. Mr. Maroliant. the architect, was present, and would be prepared to give every informa'iou on th it point. He (Mr, Ollivier) also held in his hand a petition nearing tho signatures «f between forty nd forty-five residents in the locality of the proposed house, and this strongly recommended tho granting of the license, on tho ground that Mr. Bertie was a fit and proper person to hold a license, and that a well conducted house at the spot Indicated would bo a great convenience. lie apprehended that when an applicant produced plans of a good house and came recommended so strongly, tho Bench would have bo difficulty in expressing a favorable opinion. Plans of tho House were produced, and exhibited to tho Bench. Mr Mansyoud, speaking tor himself, and leaving the other memb rs of tho Court to express their own opinions, thought It very desirable that tho mode of procedure adopted in this case should be goner ,1 and he should always encourage the practice, especially In regard to houses of the character it was proposed to erect, as a moans of doing away with some of tho worse houses which in'estecl tho city. Certainly, as an individual, he should support the application, but lie could not do anything to bind the Court on a future occasion, .and in saying this much he did not wish to discourage opposition from tho neighborhood, If any existed, because in deciding these questions ho liked to have all views placed before the Bench. Mr. Moore quite agreed with what had fallen from Mr. Mansford. „ ... . , .. Mr llolpswortii would say with reference to the question that it was only a few months ago that there was a largo amount of discussion and consideration given to this question, and the testimony of medical men and Influential citizens generally, if it amounted to anything amounted to this, that for tho present, and for some time to come, there was no necessity for an increase In tho number of public-houses in this city. The population had not so largely increased from that tirao to tho present as, in hia judgment at any rate to create a necessity for new houses which called at once to bat supplied. lie did not know sufficient of the nolghborlMod—-how far distant the proposed house might be from existing public-houses, Mr. Oliivier; One-third of a mile.

Mr. Holdsworth did not know much of tho locality, and did not know whether tho proposed house would stand dose to one of tho public schools, or near to a site on which a school might in tho immediate future bo erected. Therefore, for one. he must decline to express any opinion until tho wholo circumstances wero fully before the Court In tho ordinary way. Tho license was not now being applied for, and ho must refrain from expressing any opinion, THE EXTRA BAR QUESTION, Mr. Moore Inquired whether something had not to come before tho Bench in regard to the question of extra bars. Tho Inspector said ho had thought that tho expression of opinion which fell from tho Bench when tho Court previously sat would have been sufllolent to havo led tho hotelkeepers to apply for licenses for the extra bars, but they had not done so. The only way to settle tho question now would bo to lay an information. Mr. Mooro understood tho question had been settled by Courts in Otago. Mr. Mansford said ho believed Individual Resident Magistrates had given decisions that extra bars must be specially licensed. Ho hold the same opinion, hut lie was not aware tho matter had over been decided by tho Supremo Court on appeal, and until that was done he presumed there was no blading decision on the point. The Cpurt then rm