LICENSING COURT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1182, 6 December 1883, Page 3

LICENSING COURT.

The usual quarterly meeting of the Temuka Licensing Court was thelfl last Tuesday. Present—Messrs J. Talbot (Chairman), J. Meyer, J. Paterson, and R. A. Barker. APPLICATION FOR TRANSFER Olf .LICENSE. ~ . Mr Perry, and with him Mr Aspinall, ‘ applied for a transfer of the license of the Temuka Hotel from Robert Fenton to John Lye. ' ' An objection was laid by the police to, , . the effect that Mr Lye was young,' single' and inexperienced, and that he was only, as the objection stated, a go-be-fcween Mr Fenton and the license. . . Constable Morton wished to produce evidence! of what had previously taken (, ; place, but Mr Perry objected on .the '' ground that the past had nothing to do with the case, and that all they had to deal with was the transfer of the license ( to Lye. . i - The Court ruled that the objection was good, and after a few more remarks Constable Morton called. John Lye, who Reposed that he was appointed manager of the hotel when the license wks transferred temporarily to. him on the 26th of October last. He was'to manage it until a suitable tenant was got. He was at in the position of a suitable tenant. He , was in no different position now to what was before. 1 After some further examination Mr - -Perry addressed the Court. He urged |' that Mr Fenton had done his best tp find a suitable tenant. It was not easy to get a tenant and the object was to ' let Mr Lye keep the license until a - suitable tenant could bo got. He urged very forcibly the hardships that would be inflicted by not granting the license. The report of the police showed ;. - that the house was well conducted, kept ’ respectably, frequented by respectable . persons, and no wrong could be done by granting the license. The Court returned, and after a short / absence decided to adjourn the case for Snx weeks to give Mr Fenton time to get a suitable tenant. ' , COMPLAINT. .. A complaint was lodged against A. | R., Kirk, licensee of the Crown. Hotel, to the effect that he had failed to report ' to the police a case in which one of his servants committed suicide by taking ‘ poison until after she had died. The poison was taken at 10 o’clock at night and she did not die until 7 o’clock next . morning, and Mr -Kirk neglected to inform the police of it in the meantime. .If he had done so it was possible a valuable life might have been saved. Mr Kirk wanted to know what power bad the police to make such against him. Constable Morton pointed out that the licensee was responsible for any breach of the law committed in his house, house. There was an indictable offence committed in Mr Kirk’s house and he had failed to report it. He /had not made an objection. He only brought up the matter to let hotelkeepers know that they were bound /’ to report any breach of the law "that might happen in their houses to the police. The Chairman said it was no doubt an oversight on the part of Mr Kirk, ■’Mr Kirk said it was not, There was nothing in the Act to authorise him to doit. ' | Constable Morion pointed out that - there was. |- \il if hr Chairman said the Court quite •agreed with the report, but no doubt it was an oversight on Mr Kirk’s part. ' Mr Kir,k would' not admit that he ~ was guilty of any oversight or negligence. The matter then dropped. SATISFACTORY REPORTS. ■ 'The report's bn the other hotels were : most satisfactory. ' ~ ADJOURNMENT. The Court then adjourned to the 15th . of January next. '