RAGLAN LICENSING BENCH.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2969, 25 July 1891, Page 3

RAGLAN LICENSING BENCH.

TO TIII-: KIUTUH. Sn;, —The corn ; oonrt n', in your i-sue of •Saturday last attempts to defend the proceedings of the Licen-ing Committee here on the 2lith June laat. ft may be that he is one of those who sat on the bench. If >.o, lie apparently paid little attention to what took place. The first app'ic ;li n \u,s that of Mrs Kenny. She had, as stated 11v the clerk of the couuni'tee, complied with the provisions of the Ac', and fuither, he (the clerk) produced a plan of the buildin?. and lemarked that the repairs and additions in pmgr -,-s were in evoiy way satisfactory. The Chapman then called foi-some one to move in the matter. Mr Charlton did so—thai the license l:e granted—and the. native seconded. The i chairman's casting vote again-t was ghen, ■ not on the ground of non-compliance with ; tlio Act (else why did he put it to the vote), hut solely for the reason, to him sufficient, that one licensed house was enough for Riglati. N'ow it was notorious to every one | hsro that the other applicant (Mr Moon) j had no ground of support for his appiica- , tion, ho having failed to lodge his notice with the cleilc of tlio court on the day , required. As one of the members remarked on the case being called, " There ' was nothing before the committee." Con- ' sideration perhaps might have been had to • tho applicant's excuse that the clerk of the Court was absent from duty on the Saturday (the last day for posting notices). Knowing this informality of Moon's appli- 1 Cation, the committee might sately have ( granted Mrs Kenny's license. This would i not haie affected tile chairman's desire to avoid two. Apparently tho committee , wished to grant Moon his license, but this ] they could not do without a breach of the Act. Had Moon's case been called first and dismissed, the chairman might have seen his way to give his vote otherwise than he did. M's Kenny is thus the snlferec <. by the prominence and preference given to ln-r fellow applicant, the genial host, who* i k eclipse (temporarily though it may be) is unlauiented but by few.—Ymus truly, n Dcmaii. <