OUT-OF-DATE HOTELS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 136, 11 June 1929, Page 9

OUT-OF-DATE HOTELS.

IN THAMES DISTRICT. RENOVATION ORDERED. SOME LICENSEES WARNED. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) THAMES, Monday. "As a result of a careful personal inspection of hotels I have arrived at the conclusion that the standard ot comfort, convenience and general conditions of the licensed houses in the Thames district, with two or three exceptions, does not come up to the standard of licensed houses in other districts," said Sergeant Rowell in a report which caused much discussion at a meeting of the Thames Licensing Committee to-day. "I can only account for this," Sergeant Rowell added, "by the fact that there are more hotels in the district than the population warrants, with the result that many houses are hardly paying their way and owners and licensees find difficulty in providing a better class of house and better accommodation.

"However, generally speaking, it can be said that the utmost cleanliness prevails in the majority of houses:, but Biany of the buildings are old and the furnishings only fair, while sanitation in some cases is far from good. The travelling public using the yearly increasing facilities for fast motor journeys, have the right to proper conveniences, comfortable accommodation and effective service, for they are called on to pay in most cases a fairly high tariff. After-hour Trading. "The time is not far distant when quite a number of houses will require to be rebuilt or extensively repaired. I would draw special attention to the reports on the Coromandel Hotel the ote i and ' other Thames hotels, the Puriri and Junction Hotel,. I would also draw attention to e increasing number of convictions eing recorded against persons for presence on licensed premises during prohibited hours, the inference being that aiter-hour trading is bein<r carried on by licensees, due no doubt" to the difficulty experienced in making their business pay in the nine hours-per ■••diem--allowed by the law."

Mr. E. J. Clendon said the nine Thames hotels owned by the Campbell and Ehrenfried Company, Ltd., would berenovated on the desired lines immediately. The committee warned the licensee of the Cornwall Arms Hotel, J. Alwinger, that he must by future conduct remove the suspicion of the police", "was continuing after-hour trading. ~ Reporting on the Kauaeranga Hotel (R. Barker), Sergeant Rowell said: "This unclean and uninviting place shows signs of neglect on the part of the licensee. The bedrooms are dirty and the linen is not too clean. The bathroom is dirty and the iron bath .filthy The committee accepted Mr.'Clendon's assurance that needed repairs were being made, and renewed the accommodation license at the reduced fee of £5. | ■ This concession was also applied to the accommodation license at Neavesville and Whangamata. | The license of the Royal Oak Hotel at Tapu (A. A. Brooks),, was .renewed, ton a promise that a proper fire-escape would be erected. The police said that [lodgers would find it. impossible in the event of fire to escape with their lives through the small and imperfectly, [arranged windows opening on to the. (fire-escape. . , All other licences for Thames hotels were renewed on undertakings heinc given that suggested alterations were being or would be carried out on the lines indicated by the Police and Health Departments. The licensees of the Junction and Cornwall Arms Hotels were warned that further conviction for illegal traffic in spiritous liquors would incur the severe displeasure of the committee.