"DUMMY" LICENSES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 131, 7 June 1927, Page 3

"DUMMY" LICENSES

"AGAINST PUBLIC POLICY^

COMPLAINT TO LICENSING COMMITTEE

That a monopoly was created in th» wholesale wine and spirit business .in I the Wellington district by the holding of more thau one license by the sarna firm, was the allegation made at th« annual meeting of the Wellington Dis» trict Licensing Committee yesterdaj? when the renewal of wholesale license^ was being discussed. Mr. H. F. O'Leary, who appeared foi> a firm not at present holding a license^ said that it was quite clear from th« Statute that the committee had no power to grant a license which would: have the. effect of adding tor the exist* ing number of.licenses. Unless ther^ was some diminution of the number of licenses, either by forfeiture or fey faiW ure to renew, no new licenses could !•$ granted. He submitted that that'legist lation tended to •reate'a monopoly ia Wellington insofar that evidence would show that more than one license, was j being held by the same person or set of persons. An investigation was called for, as it was contended that ia several cases two licenses were hold by, the same firm, one being used as a "dummy," Counsel considered that the principle was against public policy. Counsel for the firms concerned said that in each case it could be shown that the license was being made use of. An adjournment to 20th June was granted to enable the position to b« fully investigated by counsel. Renewal of wholesale licenses was granted in each of the following.cases:. William David Dobson, Gollin and Co, Pty., Ltd., Burns, Philp, and Co., Ltd.* Laery, Beveridge, and Co., litd., Begin* altl Collins, Ltd., Harold "W. Brown, Trengrove, and Co., Ltd., H. "W. Mosaj Ltd., Arthur Young -and Campbell Young, E. T. Taylor and Co., Ltd., Wairarapa Farmers' Co-op." Association, Ltd., Murray, Roberts, and Co., LtdJohnston and Co., Ltd-., Herbert Wiu Ham Preston, John M'llEaith, and Levii and Co., Ltd.