LICENSING COMMITTEES.

Evening Star, Issue 7237, 13 June 1887, Page 2

LICENSING COMMITTEES.

CITY. The adjourned meeting of the Dunedin City Licensing Committee was held to-day and attended by Messrs H. Gourley (chairman), R. Stanford, and A. Sligo. Patrick Keligher’s application for a renewal of his license was first considered.— Mr Solomon stated that the Committee of the Commercial Building Society had decided to make the necessary improvements. —The manager of the Society stated that the directors would be prepared to make any repairs that the Bench deemed necessary. —The Committee granted the license upon the understanding that the greater part of the house should be rebuilt during the next twelve months, Patrick O’Brien applied for a license for the Royal Hotel, Walker street.—Mr Solomon supported the application, and Mr A. S. Adams opposed. said since this house had lost its license Mr O’Brien had spent some L 250 on the repairs. There was a section of the community who endeavored to oppose all licenses without respect to an injury that may be done to the applicants. These people did not care what injury was done to anyone, provided that their “fad” was carried out, The memorial did not count for much, as it was easy to obtain 1,000 signatures in favor of the license as against it. He could see no objection to the granting of the license,— Mr Adams said no case had been made out for the granting a license. In applying for an adjournment Mr Solomon had stated that he would show that a large amount of money had been spent on the house. The license had been refused in 1885 to a different applicant. Mr O’Brien had not spent any moneys on the house, and even if he had, Mr O'Brien knew full well that two committees had refused the license. He quoted the decision of the previous Committee, which stated that they did not wish to go behind the decision of their predecessors. No reason had been urged which showed that tho license was necessary. There were seven or eight licensed houses which could bo reached from the Royal Hotel in a minute. He could not see that it would be any hardship to Mr O’Brien to refuse the license. He considered that any Bench should always consider a memorial signed by respectable residents. His learned friend had said that it was easy to obtain 1,000 signatures for or against a license. This statement might be true regarding the party which was represented by Mr Solomon, but it certainly was not true regarding the memoiials of the rabid party. He also contended that Mr O’Brien should not have a license on the ground that he was not a fit person to hold a license, and that the building was unsafe. He would call the applicant to give evidence.—Patrick O’Brien stated that he had held a license for the Munster Arms for eighteen years. He became the tenant of the Royal Arms on February 15, 1885, when he was still licensee of the Munster Arms. He had had many complaints made against him.— To Mr Solomon : He had spent L3OO on the house with the object of obtaining a fresh license.—After Mr Solomon had replied, the Committee retired to consider their decision, and after being absent about half-an-hour they stated that they would give their decision on Monday next.

The adjourned meeting of the Peninsula Licensing Committee was held in the Drill Hall at Anderson Bay on Sathrday afternoon. There were present Messrs A. Stuart (chairman), T. Begg, A. Blatch, J. Ferrier, and T. Somerville. Mr J. Macgregor appeared for T. Smithson, of the Shiel Hill Hotel; and Mr J. White for R. Mercer, of the Highcliff Hotel. After hearing the solicitors for the applicants, and being convinced that the feeling of the public was against the closing of the houses, the Committee decided to grant the renewals. We hear that the next election will probably be keenly contested between the temperance party and the publicans, the former having intimated, if again elected, their intention to close all the houses in the district.