RENT AND GOODWILL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 840, 11 June 1910, Page 7

RENT AND GOODWILL.

THE HOTELKEEPER'S LOT. ALTERATION IN THE LAW SUGGESTED. (By Tclecranli—Press Association.) Hastings, June 10. At the annual meeting of the Hawke's Bay Licensing Committee, at Hastings to-day, warnings were given to several licensees .as to the manner in which they'- ( had conducted their houses. At tlw conclusion of the business the chairman (Air. S. E. M'Carthy, S.AI.) said a matter which had been under the consideration of the committeu which had been mentioned last year, and which t|iey decidpd to mention again this year, was the conditions unclor which business was carried on by hotelkeepero. It had been brought under their notice that whilst several hotctlieepers • rents were largely increased on renewal of; leases, a very substantial sum for goodwill had been extracted in addition from licensees. They had two instances before them, in one of which the rent amounted to £1191 a year, and in the other to £1140, in addition to which there .were wages, upkeep of buildings, grocers, butchers, and bakers' accounts, and, liquor bills, and keeping 'in view the legitimate trade to bo done in Hastings, this charge was out of all proportion if a licensoo was expected to observe the law. There was a caso of a Widow dying leaving the business as her only asset, and the children were deprived. of everything but the few pounds realised on the furniture. Tho committee proposed • communicating with ,tho Minister for Justice, suggesting ail alteration in the law, whereby publicans would be afforded reasonable opportunity of carrying on their business and observing the law. Drunkenness and the issue of prohibition orders had largely increased in Hastings during the past year. Convictions for drunkenness for the' year ending May 31, 1909, wero 179, and for tho year ending May this y.ear convictions were 201. Prohibition orders issued last year in Hastings wero 47, and this year the number was 53. This was only the natural outcome of tho. conditions under which hotelkeepers were carrying on business.