Onchunga Quarterly Licensing Meeting.— Wednesday.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 207, 3 September 1886, Page 4

Onchunga Quarterly Licensing Meeting.— Wednesday.

(Beforo Messrs L. J. Trollops (Chairman). William Webb, William Shuldrlck, and John RoHneon ; Mr Hutchinson, Licensing Clert, and Sergeant Greote. who represented the police, being presont).

Royal Hotel, Princes-street.—An appli. cation was made for tho transfer of this houso from the old building to the now and commodious premises recently erected on adjacent ground, which was granted. Lamps at Hotels. —Tho Chairman stated that nn application had been received by letter from Mr Michaels, of the Manukau Hotel, for permission to be excused from burning a lump at night over his hotel door, as tho wharf was well lighted at preaeut with other lamps. Similar applications had been made by other hotelkeepers. - Mr Robinson said he was strongly in favour of granting the application, as the hotel keepers were too hardly dealt with in being required to keep lights burning for the accommodation of the public. Similar applications had been made and acceded to in Newmarket and Panmuro, and, as the commisnonors possessed the power of grantingthe application, they should do so. —Mr Sheldrick also atated that ho was in favour of permission boing given to put out tho hotel lamps. — The Chairman asked Serjeant Green if he wished to make any remarks concerning the lamps not being kept lighted during tho night. —rergeant Greene aaid he could see no objection at all to tho hotel lamps not being lighted, provided tho Borough Council substituted gas lamps in adjacent places for those done away with. At present the street lamps were extinguished at 12 o'clock at night, and not lighted at all on certain other nights, and for a toien like Onehunga, with shipping and strangors coming into it by times at all hours of the night, be thought the streets would look rathor gloomy without some lights. —At the suggestion of the Chairman, the Bench retired to consider the applications, und on resuming their seats again he announced that they were not at all unanimous, but a majority were in favour of allowing the lamps to be put out at 12 o'clock for one quarter.—Sergeant Greene, addressing the Chairman, and drawing bis attention to the latter part of the section under which they were acting, said he thought the B. nch, under the circumstances, had no power to act.—Mr Robinson : We have power, and the sergeant has no right to dictate. We have power. I know we have th; power — The Chairman eaid he feared they had no power to act at present, and in this opinion Mr Wfbt; was iinderstood to concur, and the Chairman consequently ruled that the application would be refused.— Mr Robinson dissented, and said he should take legal advice.—As Mesare Robinson and Sheldriok are also members of the Borough Council, it is quite probable that there wili be something further about the street lights.