CONDUCT OF CITY HOTELS

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 224, 9 June 1923, Page 6

CONDUCT OF CITY HOTELS

SATISFACTORY IN GENERAL MANY BUILDINGS IN BAD REPAIR LICENSING COMMITTEE MEETS While the conduct of the Wellington hotels in general during the past year has been pronounced by the police to bo satisfactory, many licensees have been required to repair their houses, and the Licensing Committee, which sat yesterday, has held up a number of applications for renewal of licenses in order that evidence of compliance with the police requirements may bo produced.

The annual meeting of the Wellington Licensing Committee was held iu the Magistrate’s Court at noon. Mr. \V. G. Riddell, S.M.. presided. The other members of the committee were Mr. G. J- Petherick (who has completed his twenty-third year as a member of a licensing committee), Mr. W. I. Clark, Air. F. Meadowcroft, Air. O. W. Chilman, and Air. J. W. Ellison. The report furnished to the committee by ■ Sub-Inspector Cummings . stated that with few exceptions' tho conduct of licensed houses during the past twelve months had been good. A few licensees were prone to trade during prohibited hours, and prosecutions had taken place. During the past quarter the, conduct of offending licensees had improved considerably. The conduct; of the licensee of the Shamrock Hotel had not been satisfactory. The police bad had to pay special attention to hi 4 hotel recently, and at midnight two men had been caught coming out of the place. One of them was in a state of intoxication, and both had subsequently been convicted and fined for being illegally on the premises. The licensee was under the influence of liquor on tho occasion jn question, lhe conduct of tho Alasonic Hotel had boon “not too satisfactory.” The police had had. trouble with a lounge bar kept open late for the purpose of serving boarders. Several men had been recently convicted for being illegally on tha premises and in the vicinity of this bar. During the past few weeks, however the bar had been kept closed, and the conduct of the house had improved. The supply of liquor to females in open bars or in other parts of licensed premises had been greatly reduced, except in one place—the Dominion Hotel. Ah the licensees had now paid special attention to tho request of tho Licensing Committee that women should be discouraged from drinking on the pieiuIn the remainder of tho report detailed information was given about the state of repair of various hotels about the accommodation they, .provided. Since the date of the ins t Mtf.--M> made by the police some of the hotels havo been repaired or renovated, while the licensees of others have made arrangements to comply with the police requisitions. The chairman skid the committee noted with satisfaction that less liquoi was heing consumed by women ou licensed premises. The police report showed that a great many buildings were not in a very good state of repair, and that it was necessary tor them to be put into cood repair, so as to provide the accommodation required by the public. There were a number of minor defects that could no doubt be easily remedied. In some cases tn« defects were substantial, and they also must be remedied before licenses could be granted. Some of the hotel buildings of the city were shown to be ■so old as to be practically past renovation. They must be kept in a habitable condition until new buildings were erected. In some cases it was stated thac the accommodation was not sufficient to bring the premises into lino with the requirements of the statute, which prescribed that there -should be at least six rooms apart from the ba» accommodation and the rooms needed by the licensee and his family. The licensees would have to comply with the Act. . . Tho committee granted applications for the following transfers: —Albion Hotel, from A. Raesido to J. Frobisher; Thistle Inn, from Al. McEnroe to J. D. McKechnie; Duke of Edin burgh, from F. J■ Oakes to W. G. Price; New Zealander. from A. Gustofson to J. Solway; Cambridge, from E. Limbrick to P. AV. Corby; Brunswick, from A. V. Holbrook to W. Hannalind; Clyde Quay, from W. ’ R. Morse to G. Buchanan; Metropolitan, from J. Lewin to P. Ryan; Foresters' Arms, from M. Kavanagh to H. Mann. The committee also granted a number of applications for renewals, oml adjourned others for consideration on June IS. With regard to the adjourned cases, the committee will require to bo satisfied that the applicants havo had repairs to their premises effected in accordance with the police report. The police opposed the application of A. H. Lees for a transfer to him of the license of the Shamrock Hotel. Sub-Inspector Cummings called evidence regarding the incident referred to in the police report quoted above. Mr. L. J. Maule, for the applicant, said that yesterday morning Mr. E. Page, S.M., had dismissed charges against Lees in respect of the presence on the premises of the men found there after hours. Mr. Maule observed that his client was not alleged to have been intoxicated during the hours when it was necessary to attend to business. The chairman, after perusing a police report from Otaki, where the applicant for a tiriie held a license, said the report stated that in the opinion of a constable Lees occasionally much liquor. “The committee has decided, however,” said Air. Riddell, “that it is prepared to grant this application and point out to tho licensee the necessity for him to control himself in respect of taking intoxicants.” ,