Tavern decision attacked

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32524, 6 February 1971, Page 1

Tavern decision attacked

The Licensing Control Commission is ' “a damned idiot,” according to Mr A. A. Macfarlane, chairman of the Amuri County Council, who made the remark when the council heard yesterday afternoon of the commission’s decision to allow a tavern licence for the Culverden Hotel.

The granting of the tavern licence will deprive Culverden—the county seat and largest populatidn centre in the Amuri district—of its only public accommodation. There is now no hotel in the town, nor are there any motels. The nearest accommodation will be in hotels at Hurunui, nine miles south of Culver-

den, or at Rotherham, about eight miles north, and off the main road to the Lewis Pass. “Put an application in straight away for a trust hotel,” suggested Cr M. F. Uren, when the commission’s decision—unexpected by the council—was read. It was something which would have to be considered, said the chairman. Now that there would be no hotel services available in Culverden, the council might have to do something along these lines. The County Clerk (Mr B. J. Peters) said he had made inquiries and understood that the council had no right of appeal against the commission’s decision. Only other hotelkeepers in the' atea had a right of appeal. “This is serious; it’s getting a terrible country to live in,” said Cr Uren.

“It’s great what three men (the members of the commission) can do in a thing like this,” said Cr D. Dwyer. “They are a power unto nobody but themselves.” The council decided to appeal to the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Seath) to intercede in the matter. In its decision, which followed the hearing of an application by Mr R. D. Marshall for a tavern licence on November 17, the commission said: - “It is with reluctance that we accede to the wishes of the hotel owner. However, if he does not wish to do so, we do not feel that there is sufficiently good reason to keep the premises open for accommodation purposes.” (Decision, Page 14)