MT SOMERS APPLICANT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 49, Issue 198, 7 June 1929, Page 5

MT SOMERS APPLICANT

TEMUKA LICENSING BENCH. APPLICATION ADJOURNttD. (Special to " Guardian.") TEMUKA, 'This Day. The Temuka Licensing Committee at its annual meeting to-day heard an application for a license for'the Mount Somers Hotel, which, by reason of an alteration in the electoral boundary is now in a "wet" district and conies under the jurisdic:im tf the Temuka Licensing Committee. >«r C. R. Orr Walker, S.M., presided, r-nd with him were Messrs J. Kennedy. W. F. Evans, T. E. Gunnion, V. Maze and G. Hancox. The application was made b$ I'.owin Charles Wood, proprietor of the Mount Somers Boarding-bo iso. which in 1902 was licensed as an hotel Mr J. H. Upham, of Christchurcb. vho appeared for Wood, said that Mount Somers was 40 miles from ihe neirppt public-house. Before the district had been split up, the whole was subject to no-license. Now that Vi had beer; split up between Temuka and MidCanterbury, a portion of ihe dry district had been" absorbed by a wet district. Thus at present liquor could be sent into a former drv district in I any quantity and the pohve had absolutely no control. A grave injustice ;had been done to the inhabitants of Mount Somers, who were iw >n a w«t district. There was- no provision for these people in the Act. T'iey had no hotels, and they could not even v«;t«" for Restoration. Proceeding, Mr Upham pointed out that Mt. Somers was now under the jurisdiction of the Temuka Licensing The words of the Act giving jurisdiction to Temuka could hardly be wider in scope. He said that Mount Somers had been brought into a wet district. There were no hotels and the residents had no protection against slyi grog-selling, which had

gone on in tho Ashburton district in the wast. The position was felt strongly by residents of Mount Somers, and they had petitioned the Prime Minister to have the state of affairs remedied.

The chairman: The license of the Mount Somers hotel has ceased to exist in the Ashburton district, and the position for the Committee to determine is whether it can grant a new license in place of one that has been forfeited or has ceased to exist in the Ashburton district.

Edwin Charles Wood (proprietor of the Mount Somers boarding-house) said the premises had been ' licensed until the No-license poll had been carried in 1902. The iplace was 40 miles from the nearest hotel, on the public highway. He had gone round the district with a petition urging the necessity for the state of affairs to be remedied as a result of Mount Somers coming into a "wet" district and losing the right to vote for restoration, and 563 out of 630 electors had signed the petition. To Inspector A. S. Bird: The house for which application for a license was made was 55 years' old. , Mr F. I. Smith (Temuka) said he was representing an objection' to an application for a license in respect of an hotel at Wins'low. There had been some irregularity in AVood's application, otherwise he was' certain he would have been instructed to oppose also the Mount Somers application. The chairman adjourned the inquiry at this juncture, so that the matter could be further discussed.

When the meeting resumed at 2.30 o'clock, the chairman said that the committee had come to the conclusion that the application should be adjourned for some time, probably until the next quarterly meeting. It was not within the power of the committee to grant the application until it was satisfied that the premises at Mount .Somers were suitable for the purpose of an hotel, and whether a license was necessary at Mount . Somers. "The committee cannot commit itself to grant a license," added the chairman, "and in the circumstances it is better that the application should be adjourmed."

Permission was granted Mr Upham to make a further application to the quarterly, meeting of the committee in September.

APPLICATION REFUSED.

NO LICENSE FOR WINSLOW. (Special to " Guardian.") TEMUKA, Ibis Day. At the annual meeting of the Temuka Licensing Committee to-day an application was made by David Dailey for a publican's license in respect of the Winslow Hotel. Mr V. W. Russell appeared in support of the application. He said that the previous building had been destroyed by fire. A new hotel was desired by the residents. Mr F. J. Smith (for certain objectors) contended that there was no necessity for the license.

The chairman said that as them was no building the committee would refuse the application.