THE BILLIARD SALOON QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 178, 27 January 1914, Page 4

THE BILLIARD SALOON QUESTION.

HOW AUDIT C'LULia/

SO KXTEMSIUX Or' IJ.Uji,

The question of the hour for e.'osiii" billiard saloon* in New i'lymuuu came up again for discussion at' me nutting of the New Plymouth toiiueil hist night. At the last niceim. oi thu Council it was deeided 10 y JaJll an ~x . tension of the hour lor i-lu o: ij" the saloons, until n , uu . A ,-t, uhl ," ( ,, mtu . tion waited on the Council m protest,, but the extension was divided ua. Since then it was mooted that a pnout meeting would he called to jin.ti-M, the Council's aeliuii, but ti,: c me.i wis dropped when it became known mat -".'r. Ambiiry had filed a notice ol motion .'u rescind the Council's rooiutiuu.

In speaking l 0 Ins nio!i<m last night, Cr. Amtmry remarked that theie iu.'t never been any sound arguments .u favor of the extension. In fairness *j the general public, and c,<pn.;.illy to the young men who li'eipicitted the saloon*, no extension should be granted. T. 14 position was that live men who had i> monopoly of the billiard triHo had asked for an extuision, and seiv.i other men had granted it. l'lie Comiiii should have given the general public i chance to express nil opinion on thtt matter. lie himaelf had becii int?:viewed by several fathers of boys, win had protested against the Council's ction.

Or. Maunder seconded the motiJi. Public opinion had m-ocliiiii'-il the •<- tension a mistake. Crs. Jackson and Collis agreed, (Jr. Clarke was in the mine mind a* li« had been in at the hist meeting of the Council. Milliard saloon, were the) poor men's cubs. There was no vice in Ihcm. if there wore, they should by

abolished altogether. Surely if there. was any gambling going on, it took place just as much between !) and 10 p.m. as it would from 10 io 11 p.m. The Council was in a belter position to judge of the matter than the public, since it had had information from other towns which the public n:ul not hud. Cr. Tabor supported ('r. Clarke, lie had gathered inforninr-on iiom many sources, and was eortn;>: there was no vice in the billiard sab uns mi the town. Cr. llealy supported th» motion, He could not do less, since there had been such a strong protest against tlie Council's previous action, and when he con* sidered that many fn qufuU rs of the saloons were mere bn\.-. Cr. Wilson adhered to s-is former opinion. The deputation had brought no evidence in support of its protest, and no grounds for saying that billiard saloons were a menace to the morals of the community. If tiiev were, they should not he open at all. There was, however, another point which must be diseus-ed later. Probably few of the councillors were aware that under the existing regulations hoys of 10 years of age could frequent saloons. Cr. Johnstone supported the motion. If there was no evidence for the deputation, a- Cr. Wilson had said, there was equally none for the saloon-kecp?rs.

The Mayor announced that since the last meeting of the Council he had changed his views, and would now vote for th« motion. The consideration which had weighed most with him in voting for the extension had been the fact that it was unjust to clote the licensed saloons at IQrp.m., while in the gentlemen's club, the young men's club,. the Territorials' Club, and the Association Football Club billiards could 1>« ' played till all hours of the u'ght. The motion was eventually carried. Cr. Collis then referred to the notice, of motion standing in his name, to fie effect that in the event o( the extension being granted. 110 one under 21 years of age should be allowed in th» saloons after !> p.m. This he now amended t<> preclude anyone under 21 years of age from frequenting saloons at any time. Cr. Tabor: Will'lbis affect tie? clubs? The Mayor: We have no novrcr to' deal with them, but I take it that the. same people who organised the deputation to us will take stops to have legislation brought in to ileal with that question.

Or. Clarke remarked, that the Council, iu refusing the extension, was really straining at a aunt and -wallowing a camel. He favored a minimum age ,f IS years.

Or. Collis altered his re-Million ti> exeliulo youths under IS from I lie *alonn«. ami (lie motion was p-is-.-J The mailer will !.,■ deal! with bv the fly-laws Omnvaillee.