HAMILTON LICENSING COURT.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1238, 5 June 1880, Page 2

HAMILTON LICENSING COURT.

Thursday, June 3. —(Before H. "W. Nortiicroft, Esq., R.M , (Chairman), 8. S. Graham, and John Rmichrun, Esq., (Commissioner-i).

Renewals. Applications for renewals of licenses weio received from R. Gwynno (Hamilton Hotel) T. Dawson (Royal' Hotel), W. H. Pc trco (Commercial Hotel), 8. W. Buck ("Waikato Hotel), J. Wood (Nottingham Castle Hotel), and L. James (Frankton Railway Hotel). The following memorial from the Hamilton hotelkeepers was handed in :—: — To the Worshipful the Licencing' Court foi Kinlviiiro.i.— l'ho niomou.il of the under .i;;ned Wilhnm Hcnrj Pc iree, Rirh<ird Gwwme, riiom.is D.iwson, and Sj-dnty William J3uck, oi H million, licensed \ictnallers within the abovenamed licensing distucts, humblj Mieweth th.it your mcmon ihsts arc the holder-> of publicans' licenses, icspectnely for the licensed houses known .is the Commeiual Hotel, the Hamilton Hotel, the R/nal Hotel, and the \\\i\K ito Hotil within the said aboxenimed luenMnj; distncts, tor which privilege join memoi ulists ha\e hilheiLo p.nd the sum ot £]0 pei annum. 'lh.it 30111 memoiiahsts h..\cbcLii mfoimed and \enh believe thit theie are holders ot publicans' licenses within the said abo\enamod districts, who for a nnu h lowei license fee ha\e iormeily done, and still continue to do, a much laijjer and more remunerative bu-.ir.es, than an) ot \our mcmoii.ilistb ha\e done or aie doint*. in it voui mcmoiiahsts respectfully submit that omni; to a ™reat decic.ise of tiado and the increase of Customs duties on liquors, the license fees hitheito imposed upon join memoiialists h.ue become quite dispiopoitionatc to the attention and expense nc.c-.sar} forthe c omfort and pioper ,k commod'tion oi: tr.ui lleis, and othei peisons resoitinjf to their lespectne licensed house s, and foi the supply ot iint-cl.us articles theiem. Th.it \our munoiial>st-> ate willing to submit themselves to this \Vo,-.hipful Couit tor is munition upon o.lth in suppoitot tlun riemoual. Iheiehi'c, jour niemori ill s fs huml'h pi ij that \our Woaslnptul Court will t ike then c. isr into la\orable consideiation, and awmnn ml the lediution of such license fee, oi yiant tin. m such lehef in the pic.nises as to jo'ir Woi^lnjful Court shall seem fit, and jour memorialists will pin 1 ,, &i . Sergeant McGovcrn appeared on behalf of the police, and reported favourably on all the houses. Mr H>y appeared in support of the memorial, and said that altliough he was not bound in any case like the present to furnish the Court with the grounds of ln-> application before the ease came on, he felt satisfied that such a practice was correct, as it gave the (Joint an opportunity of knowing what points would be raided. Tie thought the Court "u ould agree with him -\\hcn he said that the amount of profit to be made was the true basis on which to calculate the amount of license fee payable. At one time the Hamilton hotel-keepers could afford to pay a heavy license fee, a 3 they made large profits, but times had changed, and now tor a considerable period a \s idcspread depression in trade had existed throughout the colony, the effect of which the hotel-keepers ol Hamilton must feel. The Government of the colony had likewise felt the depression, and met it in a small way by imposing additional customs duties on liquors, which atiectcd not the merchant nor the consumer of the liquor but the unfortunate hotel-keeper, who has to sell his glass of grog ior sixpence whatever the duty may be. Had this additional duty not been imposed he should .still have made the present application on account of the hard times, but he felt his argument much strengthened by the imposition of the duty. One of his clients had informed him that the extra duty payable by him on spnits alone is over £10 per annum, and tins in the face of hard times. If the Court could not recommend a reduction he feared it meant the supply of inferior accommodation and articles tor the public or the Bankruptcy Couit for the honest landlord. He did not wish this Court to take the proceedings of any other Court ot equal povieis as a precedent, but lie would like to draw their attention to the fact that about three years ago there wore three houses in Cambridge paying £40 license fee, and a fourth license was applied for and granted. On application the Court then reduced the license fee to £30 for eieh hou-e. Himilton \\ite now similarly placed, the W.iikato Hotel being" the new house, and ho a-ked the Couit whether ir is not wise to do -orncth nu" similar in Hamilton to that done in Cmibridjre. His clients were m Com Iv. iliin le to be examined if the Court, thought fit to call upon them, but he trusted Hi d what he had said was s> m.'iiifcst th.it huch a cour-o would b unneccvviiy. Ho would now leave hid cisc in the hamls ot the Court. Mr O'Neill appeared for Mr Jame^, and applied that the fee for his house, winch was outside the Borough, be reduced from £30 to £20. lln pointed oat that the hotel bein<r the only place of refreshment near the railway station was vory necessary, but the present fee was excessive. The Chairman said the license had been reduced by £10 last year. The Clerk said it was then in the same position as regards fees as the Auckland hoteK The Chairman asked if Mr James intended next year to ask for a fuither 10duction, provided this application were granted . Mr O'Neill said ho did not ; he hoped by that tim° to be in a pos't'on to paj r a higher fee by time*, improving. The Chairman said the license fees would in each case be reduced by £10, and the renewals granted.

A Teetotal Speech. — After the leaders at a teetut.il meeting had exhausted their eloquence in extolling tlipit own virtues, and, in the n-tial totnperance language, consigned the brewer, publican, »nd winemeichants to the rjirions below, the workingmpn were patronizingly invited to narrate their experience ot tl*e blessings of teetot.ilism. ccoidmjjly a man — ;ipparently a carpenter — 'iddrewd tlie meeting, and stated that, for many year-> he was a moderate drinker, seldom driukmg < ore than a pint and a. half or two j hits of beer a clay ; but, having* read and heard so much of the advantages of total abstinence, about twelve month.-* atro he w.i-- induced to t ike the pledge. "My friends," ho said, "in the first week I saved three shilling's" — hear — " which the publican would have had " — cheers — " in one month I put by twelve shillings " — cheers — " in three months my savings amounted to two poundi ' ' — gi eat cheering — "in six mouth i I b.'td f-aved by tcetotahsm five pounds " — enthusiastic cheenrg — " in nine mouths I had saved " — here the speaker diopped hi-> voice and paused — his hearers, all expectant, cheered him on — " I had saved," he continued, speaking- very impressively, "quite enough to purchase a coffin, and I was then so prostrated by ill-health that I was nearly ready to be put into it, and, if I had not returned to malt liquor again, I should not have lived to give you the re* suit of my experience."