AFTER THE FLOODS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10073, 20 June 1910, Page 5

AFTER THE FLOODS.

"GOODWILL" AND MONTHLY TENANCIES. STORY OF A HAWKE'S BAY HOTEL. By Telegraph—Press Association. HASTINGS, Jure 19. At the Magistrate's Court, Hastings, on .Saturday, Mr McCarthy, S.M., made a slight correction of a statement made by him as Chairman of the Hawke's Bay Licensing Committee. The btateraent made was that the children of a certain widow had been deprived of the goodwill in , a certain hotel premises. "This," said Mr McCarthy, "was njt strictly accurate. The facts are that somewhere about the year 1896 an hotel was taken up by the husband of the widow referred So, at a rental of-about £3 per week. Then came the floudr, and as a consequence of the damage done, not only to thg" hotel, but to the district, the ren'g was reduced." Shortly afterwards the owners were compelled by the Licensing Committee to re-build a portion of the premises. After- j wards the rent was raised from time to time until it reached £8 to £9 a ' week. During the whole of this time there was no lease, and all the interest the husband, and subse- j quently his widow, had in the busi r ness waa a monthly tenancy. To that ' extent, and to that extent alone, j would it be correct to say there was no goodwill. It' is however, within my own knowledge that tenants with monthly tenancies have sold out the gooawill, finding persons willing to take the business on those terms." "Aft«rjthe widow's death the executors had arranged to sell out,' including the furniture and goodwill, «t somswnere about £SOO, but the owners intervened, and pointed out that there was no eoodwill, and the sale was not completed. That, transaction, consequently, fell through, and ultimately the owners leased the premises to a person with whom' thu executors had been in treaty, and the ejueutorj only got about £l5O for the furniture."