ABOUT LICENSING MATTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 192, 28 August 1900, Page 2

ABOUT LICENSING MATTERS.

TO THE EDITOR, Sir, —I noticed last week an editorial on the question of transferring a license from one part of the district to | the other, wherein you expressed the opinion that a license can not, according to the Act, be removed for more than | a quarter of a mile, but there are, as you are aware, more ways of killing a dog than by hanging, and so, in this case, provided you have a Licensing Bench in favour of the trade, it is quite on the cards for the said Bench to see a way out iof the difficulty in so far as the letter of the law may be kept, even if the spirit of it is broken. The reason I write as I do is because it is fresh in my memory tnat at the last licensing meeting here the S.M. (who is Licensing Committee as well) was asked by a deputation to alter the time of closing from 11 to 10 o'clock, but he refused, on the ground that he would not take that responsibility on himself without an expression of opinion from the electors through the ballot-box. So far, so good, and he probably was right; but then what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander—how came it that this same S.M,, as Licensing Committee for the Egmont electorate, on a previous occasion, altered the time forward from 10 to 11 without consulting the wishes of the electors on the matter? Yet, if my memory serves me right, this was done, not only without consulting the wishes of the electors, but in direct opposition to the strongly expressed opinion of the police. Now, a Licensing Bench that evidently studies the interests of the trade in suoh a way as to protect it by two opposing opinions and decisions as quoted, will quite likely, if there is way round the Act, grant the request re the license referred to, but as £ am not a lawyer', I, ef course, am not in a position to say how it is to be done, but that some soundings and arrangements have been made in the matter is quite apparent, else the rumours to this effect would not have been allowed to go uncontradicted so long by those whose names have been freely quoted in connection with this business.—l am, etc., Elector.