TARANAKI LICENSING COMMITTEE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 139, 12 June 1903, Page 2

TARANAKI LICENSING COMMITTEE.

UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENTS. A SITTING IN CAMERA. THE PRESS DENIED ADMISSION. A peculiar state of o flairs, in these days of free institutions, presented itself at the New Plymouth Courthouse yesterday. Hearing that a meeting of the Licensing Committee whs to be held, a representative of the Daily News attended at the Court end meeting Mr Stanford, S.M., afked if a meat-1 iag of the committee was to be held and was met with the ques'ion "Is there to be one ?" Our repr< ssntitive said th\t was what he wanted to know and, if fo, would the Press be admitted ? " Most c«rtaidly not," d».id Mr Stxnfo'd " Thon a meeting is -o be hel i," sail our np csentutivr-, " .cill ] it be possiUe to obtain the result '(" j " I thiuk cot," said Mr Stan fold, " but I if the commit'ee wish anything made public I will let you know." A few minutfe la*er our represen'a'ive was joined by a repre;enta'ive of the evening paper end the members of the Licensing Committee filed in one at a proceeding to the magistrate's room. The attention of at 1 aafc two of them wi.B calld (o the fact that Press representatives were p'eaontaud d< sired admission, The reporters then proceeded to the Court room to find the Bsnch d' serteil, but Mr. 0. Samuel end Mr Q iilliam, of Govett and Q iilliam, were seated at Counsel's table with a most formidable array of law books in front of them. Th y informed the r porters that it having transpired tint at the meeting of the Committee, he'd on the 6 h instant, th 3 voting on the question of 10 o'clock versus 11 o'clock i ccsps wa? 3 to 2, one member, although p esent, rot exercising his vo'e. Ths Mr eJamue', on being consulted by Messrs Gove'.t and QuiUiam, advisad was ill gal, and the Committee had been called upon to complete their busiteas by giving a legal dacisioa on the quas ion, Understands irg the Commute* were meeting to considr r the poin*, Mees- s G jvett and Qu lliam bad ask d the Ojmmjttte to hear Mr Ssmitl, for the applicants, and Mr Wilson, of Roy and Wileon, for tie objec ora b fore oomiDg to a final decisis. At this juncture Mr Holmes, Clerk to the Committee, came into Court and intimated that the Committee, which was sis'iog ia the Magistrata'a room, declined to hear Mr Samuel. Mr Q liliiam and Mr Samuel then 1 ft ths Court, f er fi s' B'at.ir.g (heir inteation to sp[.ly to the Supreme Court for a mandamus to compel the Commit eo to exercise th ir f'i: ctioas according to law. The press representatives then together wsiel upm Mr Stanford, who a'atiid that the Ocmmrtee had desired him to say that they had no information to giye the Press. By th* kiud courtesy of Mr 0. Samu<} and Messrs Govett and Q iilliam wo are permitted '0 publish the fallowing and understand (hat since the 1 s. letter was received Mr S,musl has sent the formal rjviceof his intention to proceed with an application to the Supn rne Court for a uiatd ,mu i i

CORRESPONDENCE. New Ptyrn -uth, 8 h Jun«. The Committee f^rtha.Tara' naki Dla'rioi;.

Gnrkmeti,—Oa Friday Lut the 5 h irstanfc, we ma<le application tj y -u for ex'ensioa of the closing hour of the Whi'e Hait, O i-eriop, Taranak', Imperial, and Had House Hotels. Your chiiroiau subsequently annou-.ced that you d«cliat'd to grant the applications, and that therefore all the hoteld would el.sa at 10 o'c'ock. We have since learned that; the whole statement by the chairman was made in error, and thai y.-'U did not as a comrai'tee come to any vilid drision on o:r application, no d c'sioQ htviig been arrived at by a maj rity of ill sj biding. One of your numb'r dii no*, w<» vote upon 'h' qu s'iof, "1 hough he was s'tting as a member cf the committe hearing the app'.ici iona ond did not wkhdatv. Wp therefore rpply to yoa to meet aa e.rjy as p ss>bla to d ul with and decile upm thaajp'inations above referred t) in accord ince with hw, Yours faithfully, Gov jtt aid QjUiam, 8/licit3ra for applicants (namei at foo* of letter ) Mr A. H. Holmse, clerk f thi Licen■ing Committee, replied ss follows on Jnoe 10 hj:

Daar Sirs,—l am direotel by sho Chiirmm of the Taramki L'c ning Cominit-ee. to ack!iO*ladge receipt of your lett«r of tha §6h inst,, and th.it the same will bs laid before the Qjmmittae i»t an eirly dite.— Yours faithfully, A. H. Holmes, clerk of the Li easing Committee. On June lib. Messrs Govett and Quilllam further wro'e: Sirs,—We are in receipt of a latter from tbe clerk stating th*t our Utter of the 8:h icst, will be laid b&f.re you at an early dite, and we have since learned th&t you will meet at 11 a.m. to-day, Mr Samuel and Mr Quilliam, as couDsal for our clients, will be in attendance at the Courthouse at the hour named, and we resprctf ully cla r m that they shall be heard by you before any decision is arrived at. We have given notice to Mr Wihon, counsel for the obi otors, and he also h-ts promise! to ba present, and we ask aho lint he nny bs heard.—You,s, faithfully, Govett and Q ulliam. Under same date, June 11th, Mr R. L. Stanford, S.M„ Ohairmm of tha Oommittea, wro'e es follows:

I Messrs Govett snd Qaiilhm.—Dear Sirs,-Your letter of the 8 h in3t, has been plac d before the Licensing Committee, and they will no 1 ; entertain any application such as you propose to mik». The animl licensing meeting was h'-ld on ehe sth in3t., when the whole of the business was disposed of. -Yours faithfully, R. L. Stanford, Chairman of tbe Licensing Cunmiitee.