RACING CLUB BOOTHS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 16, 20 January 1910, Page 7

RACING CLUB BOOTHS.

CONDITIONAL LICENSES. DISCUSSION BY HUTT LICENSING COMMITTEE. A special meeting of the Hutt Licensing Committee was held at Petone yesterday afternoon, when a matter of special interest to hotelkeepers was discussed. Dr. M' Arthur, S.M., presided, and -with him were Messrs. J. 'Cotton, Wm. Inglis, Orton Stevens, and J. Cudby. An application from Mr. M'Leofl, an hotel-keeper outside Wellington Licensing District, to sell liquor at the refreshment booths of the Wellington Racing Club's meeting was received. According to Mr. Neave, solicitor for M'Leod, the application was rather an. unusual one. In October last, applicant purchased from the Racing Club the right to sell liquor on four consecutive race-meetings. At that time, he was licensee of an hotel at Waipukurau, and was not aware that the Bench had some time previously resolved that conditional licenses at race-meetings should be issued only to licensees in the Wellington district. In the meantime he had become committed to a liability of £700 for the purchase of the privileges from the club. Under those circumstances, it -was necessary for him to make an arrangement with Mr. Shortis, licensee of the Princess Hotel, Wellington, who was made a partner in the venture. That was shortly before the first of the four meetings, and' the second meeting was only a few days off. The secretary of the Racing Club had signed an affidavit to the effect that the club was quite satisfied with the sale to Mr. Shortis. If the present application was not entertained it would not only throw a tery heavy liability on his clients, but would also upset the arrangements of the Racing Club. Mr. Stevens said if the Racing CluO sold to a licensee outside the Wellington district, he failed to see how the purchaser could be held liable in the event of a license being refused. The chairman: "They have sold something which they had no power to sell." The club, he added, had been informed of its position in regard to the issue of licenses. He did not think either of the lessees need be afaid of forfeiture of the purchase money. The committee then considered the application in committee. After some discussion, the chairman intimated that the Bench had decided "not to be harsh. It was prepared to issue a license to the applicants for one meeting only — that of next Saturday — on the distinct understanding that the arrangement between M'Leod and the Racing Club would be cancelled. The Bench, continued Dr. M Arthur, felt very sore about the matter, so much so that if any similar difficulty arose, the present committee had decided to decline to grant any conditional licenses to the Wellington Racing Club. The matter was now in the club's own hands. In granting the permit, the committee had been influenced in its decision by the fact that it was so near the date of the meeting. If it had not been /or that, members would have tnkcu v very different viow of the matter.