Taranaki Licensing Committee.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 132, 8 June 1904, Page 2

Taranaki Licensing Committee.

The annual meeting of the Taranaki Licensing Committee was held on Tuesday. Mr T. Hutchison, S.M., presided, and the other members present were Rev. P. A. Bennett, Messrs Amhury, ilrasch, McKel- i lar and Xewman. The Magistrate announced the following resolution arrived at by the committee : That the members of. the Taranaki Licensing Committee ekpressly direct the attention of publicans and all others interested in the trade to the provisions of section 2-1 of "The Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act Amendment Act, 1895," which prohibits the. sale of 'My any person to any intoxicated male alloriginal native or to any female aboriginal native whomsoever. The committee is informed that this section is being constantly broken, and in view of the large native population of this 'district the committee warns publicans that the application for renewal of any licehse endorsed with a conviction for such an offence will be severely dealt with. —lmperial IJbtel.— Stephen Hooper applied for a renewal of the license for the Imperial Hotel, New Plymouth. The police made no objection. Mr Quilliam for the applicant, who gave formal evidence of tlm application, and said that an extension of the closing hour to eleven o'clock would be a convenience to patrons. The Chairman thought notice of the application for extension should have been given, though it was *ot necessary.

Mr Wilson (Messrs Roy and Wilson.) appearing on l>ehalf of Rev. W. R. Woolley, a ratepayer and an elector, opposed the application. Sergeant Haddrell, who had received no notice of the application, said he would oppose it. The applicant stated that his customers sulTercd inconvenience from the early closing, especially when there were theatrical performances. The theatre never closed before ten o'clock.

Mr Wilson asked if he could crossexamine the applicant. The Chairman did not think there was any provision for this. He was in favour, though, of hearing all the evidence that could b-c obtained.

To Mi* Wilson : Mr Hooper said he had been live months in the house. He could not give an average number of his boarders, or the number of times the theatre had been opened during the live months. It was not open nightly, or anything like it. Boarders had to be admitted after ten o'clock, and kept him up.

Mr Wilson : Is it not in the interests of the licensee you are applying. instead of in the interests of the. public ? Mr Hooper : Nb. To Sergeant Haddrell : Hoarders can ask for their liquor after ten o'clock. We can't expect boarders coming in late to go round the back.

Sergeant Haddrell : If you go to Wellington you can enter a hotel by the front door after closing hours. Mr Hooper : I know that. Mr Quilliuin formally applied for the eleven o'clock extension. His Worship : Aro there any other applications for cloven o'clock licenses ? Mr Weston : Oh, ves.

His Worship thought the eleven o'clock applications should be lonsolidated and heard after the ordinary business.

This course was adopted, and the license was granted.

—Taranaki Hotel.— 11. J. Julian applied for a renewal oif the license of the Taranaki Hotel, Aew Plymouth. Mr Quillinm for applicant, and Mr Weston for the owner. The police report stated that tho house needed repairs. More discretion should be used in serving liquor to both races. The applicant stated thai tins hotel was the resort of natives, perhaps the only house in town that would willingly tak<j them in. Sergeant Haddrell stated that Mr Julian had some difficulty, according to his own statement, in thai he had to deal with partly intoxicated men from other houses.

Mr Julian said ho recognised that his duty was to assist the police. In the case mentioned by the police, the boy approached by the detective had no knowledge of the affair that was being investigated. There- wan no concealment. The division was held over. —Terminus Hotel.—

Mrs Mclsaacs applied for a renewal. Iler son, W. A. Petersen, manager of the house, gave formal evidence, Mr Uuillitun appearing for the applicant.

There were no objections, and the license was granted.

—Prdakwnter 1 lotel.— Thomas Knowles applied for a renewal of the license for the breakwater Hotel, Moturoa. There wer# no police objections. Mi- C. Weston for the applicant. in nnswer to the chairman, Sergeant ilttddrell said ho was satisfied with the tire escapes. The committee had no objections last year. The application was held over. —Criterion Hotel.— Dan O'Brien applied for a renewal of the license for the Criterion Hotel. New Plymouth. Mr Weston for the applicant. No police objections. The renewal was granted.

—Accommodation .License, Oakura.— Walter Staite applied lor a renewal of the Oakura Hotel license. Mr C. Weston for the applicant. The renewal was granted at £ls per annum.

—Accommodation License, Okato.— Alexaiider linker applied for a renewal of the Okato Hotel license. Mr Weston for tire applicant. Mr Weston said the stables were to be rebuilt at once. The license was renewed at 411.5 per annum. —Kaliotu Hotel.— Denis Moroney applied for the renewal of the liahotu Hotel license. Mr Tolhurst (Messrs Malone, McVeagh and Anderson) for the applicant. There being no police objections the license was granted. —lted House Hotel.— Edwin Whittle applied for the renewal of the license of the lted House Hotel, New Plymouth. Mr Quilliam for the applicant. No objections. License granted. —White Hart Hotel.— Charles Clarke applied for the njnewal of the license of the White Hart Hotel, New Plymouth. Mr Quilliam for applicant. No objections. License granted. -Hotel Commonwealth.— Jeremiah O'Driscoll applied for a renewal of Hie license for the Hotel Commonwealth, New Plymouth. Mr Weston for the applicant. No objections. The decision was deferred. —Packet License.— The Northern Steamship Company was granted a packet license for tli« s.s. Uarawa. —Wholesale Licenses,— A new wholesale licenso was granted to Messrs L. D. Nathan and Co., for whom Mr Quillitani appeared. The luncheon adjournment, was taken at 1.25 p.m. EXTENSION OF 110UUS. On resuming the application for eleven o'clock extensions were heard. Mr Ouilliam called Mr W. D. Webster, for 25 years agent for the Northern Steamship Company, who said he knew the ten o'clock closing had inconvenienced the travelling public and passengers by the Northern Steamship Company. Steamers sometimes arrived late at night. That evening, a steamer, the Kiaora, would arrive late. His Worship ; That is a special case. Witness : Yes. To Mr Wilson : The regular steamer was the liarawa, arriving at (> a.m. and leaving about. 9 p.m. Probably twice or three times a year a boat might arrive, so late as to make it inconvenient for passengers to tain refreshments. The last passenger train generally arrived here at

ajbout 8.15 p.m. daily, ITc had heard of no complaints except from travellers by thg infrequent if-regulur steatafcrs.

To .Mr Quilliam : lie could not say whether ten o'clock licensing had been inconvenient to .the resident public.

James Hawkins, formerly of the Red Mouse Hotel in New Plymouth, and lately of the Coronation Hotel in Kit,ham, said that in his term here there were eleven o'clock licenses and also at Eltham. lie had had ten o'clock licenses, and was j now living- in a ten o'clock house. | Eleven o'clock was more convenient to the travelling public.

Mr Weston called Mr I). O'Brien, of the Criterion Hotel, who stated that in his opinion eleven o'clock closing was moro convenient to the 'public. Ifis particular inconvenience was in connection with banquets In the hotel, the committee refusing special permits. There was also inconvenience to the public and to theatrical people when the theatre was open. Travellers also complained of the early closing. There were travellers who stayed at other places, and who spent the evening in hotels, having t« be put out tit tell o'clock. To Mr Wilson : It would t}e just as difficult to turn out commercial travellers at eleven o'clock as at ten o'clock. He thought tHtf extension would be better for b6th th& public and the license*?.

Sergeant Iladdreil; iftspeetor of licensed houses, went into the box, stating that the conduct of the town had improved under 10 o'clock licenses. In tho year ending March 81st, 1903, under eleven o'clock licenses there were 103 convictions for drunkenness, but in the next year, which included eleven months of ten o'clock closing, thore were only 07.

The town was more orderly under ten o'clock closing, and on Saturday nights young men went home ''with less beer in them" than formerly. He did not think tho resident public wanted the extension, and could not see that it would be of much use to

the travelling public, who hud no dilliculty in getting 'beds between ten and eleven o'clock. To his Worship : The ten o'clock licenses would not mean much inconvenience to people who were worth considering. Mr Weston : Are not theatre-goers and people attending public meetings worth considering? Sergeant Haddrell : Thu.v KcumiJly man ago to go out for a tiip just before ten if they want it.

Mr Weston : Then they lose part of the performance ? Sergeant Haddrell : No, they generally go out in the interval. lfis Worship : What are the arguments for extending the hour ? Sergeant Haddrell did not know, but it was probably just to secure the few extra shillings spent between ten and eleven o'clock. Sergeant Haddrell slated that there was no less liquor consumed under the toil o'clock licenses than under the later closing regulations. Mr Weston : Then where is the good of ten o'clock ? Instead of drinking hard up to ten o'clock, a man under the extension drinks leisurely up to eleven o'clock. The Sergeant : No, he would have a shilling left for next day. Mr Weston thought the Moturoa Hotel might he kept open for the convenience of wharf hands, and to the benefit of their health. His Worship : That is going too far, Mr Weston. That is a very dobatl- - point. Some people don't, have •i nightcap.

The Chairman : It is a remarkable thing that in large centres, Auckland and Wellington, ten o'clock is, the rule—no extensions there. The committee retired for a few minutes. On resuming their decisions were given. With regard to the Breakwater Hotel, the committee was satisfied with the provisions for fire escape. The license was renewed. The Commonwealth license was renewed. Thb Taranaki Hotel license was renewed, the Bench hoping that in future the licensee would-so conduct his houso as not to leave a handle for even the police to say anything about the hotel. The application for eleven o'clock li'" or, t?Gs was refused.