LICENSING MATTERS ON THE WEST COAST.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2959, 2 July 1891, Page 3

LICENSING MATTERS ON THE WEST COAST.

Our old friend Inspector McGovern is waking them up at Greymouth, and during the recent licensing meetings was the means of having several of the renewals applied for granted conditionally ou the present premises being pulled down and suitable buildings erected in a given time. The Weekly Argus, iu referring to the matter, says :—" It may be urged that because licenses have np to the present been granteil to all the oldstanding houses, the Inspector is now acting without full and proper consideration of all the circumstances in opposing licenses to any ; and that what was good enough to pass muster for the past five years should be considered a guarantee to entitle the holder to the renewal of his license for the next live years. But there is a new man arrived amongst us who " knows not Joseph," ami who may safely be presumed to have had his eyes wide-opened long before he arrived at Greymouth ; and that if he did not thoroughly understand the duties of his office he would not be iu the position lie is to-day, This at least in ay be taken for granted even in these days of peculiar police changes. While a good deal of sympathy will naturally be felt with owners of hotels who are requested to build new premises in the very dulle-t of dull times, when few or none of the hotels are yielding an adequate return upon the money originally invested, with the unavoidable outlay iu keeping them going, the fact remains that the IuHpector of Police is the duly constituted officer to whom the police aud the respectable publicans have to turn to be protected from the competition of shanties aud mere groggeries of all kinds.