THE WATERFRONT LICENSE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 135, 9 June 1926, Page 16

THE WATERFRONT LICENSE.

(To 'the Editor.) Sir, —It is strange that there should exist, particularly amongst editors of newspapers, such profound misapprehension as to .the nature and functions of a licensing committee. In your leader, on Monday night, you implied and the churches and some private individuals have declared, that the local committee has broken a trust or pledgeHow ridiculous! A licensing committee is a judicial body constituted fo' the purpose of exercising judicial duties. It would be entirely foreign to British justice that any silch body should be pledged before a trial to give a decision in any direction. The committee is there to hear evidence and to decide ag application upon the evidence adduwd and j upon broad principles. Why the farce of hearing an application if the decision is a foregone conclusion ? Prohibition in not in force in New Zealand, and the New Zealand public has given an emphatic set back to that impracticable ideal. There is a lapsed license in connection with the Thames Hotel, and a replacing application on belialf of The Ambassadors. The public, under the law of the land, is entitled to a new license. The Ambassadors Hotel has been put in first-class trim and the licensee is an experienced and reputable person. Tli3 only argument that misguided idealists and disgruntled trade competitors, enemies in the one camp, can formulate is one foreign to British principles of justice, which do not permit any discrimination, in such matters, against or in favour of a particular section of the community. It, is moreover, an insult to the., waterside workers to endeavour, even by such' lukewarm and speculative -rgiiment that was adduced under the guise of. evidence, to mark them down as unfit to have an hotel close at hand. That sort of propaganda would be forthcoming on any application, with respect to any locality and ugainst any branch of the public. The Licensing Committee is to'be congratulated upon having taken the broad view, and having come to a decision, .which. yi.idicates, and demonstrates , to the prejudiced and biased the broad and just principles upon which British justice is administered.—l .ajn, etc, • . BUCKLEY.-