TAIERI LICENSING.

Evening Star, Issue 14741, 6 December 1911, Page 6

TAIERI LICENSING.

A PECULIAR POSITION. The quarterly meeting of the Taieri Licensing Committee at Mosgiel to-day was relieved of its customary formality by reason of tho fact that the only application before the committee held peculiar features. This application was by William Edward Short Knight, who sought a renewal of a permit to carry on in temporary premises. . Mr. Allan appeared for the applicant. _ The members of the committee present wore Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M. (chairman), Messrs D. T. Shand, D. Sutherland, and J. Hay. Dr Catton, who was unable to attend, sent an apology for absence. . . Tho Chairman said that the position in regard to the application was rather peculiar. The applicant was applying for a renewal of his pemit to carry on until June 80. _ The license was in respect of tho Bridge Hotel, at Waipori, which had been burned down. The applicant was now carrying on in. temporary premises in the samo neighborhood, but owing to the_ alteration of boundaries by the Commissioners Waipori now became a part of tho Bruce electorate, where there is No-liconse. The question was: What was to be don© with tho application in the circumMr Allan said that the applicant had made considerable to his temporary premises. He had intended to go on with the erection of a new building in 'accordance with tho plans before tho committee, but now that it was almost a foregone conclusion that Restoration would not bo carried in Bruco his license would end at June 30. The Chairman: That is so. Tho committee recognise that it would bo unfair to compel this man to rebuild if Restoration is not carried. What they propose to. do is to adjourn this present application for 10 days or so to see what tho result of the poll is. After that time wo shall know whether Restoration has been carried, and if it is tho applicant can go on with his new building at once. But if Restoration is not carried the coramitteo are prepared to grant him a permit to carry on in his present premises until the end of his license. That will bo granted, however, on tho understanding that ho takes all tho risks. We cannot pretend to protect him against any risks, if there are any. In tho meantime ho will have a permit granted to him until tho committee meet again. Tho permit was granted accordingly. —A Licensee Warned.— Tho Chairman said that in regard to the police report for the last quarter the committee regretted that in two instances—tho Green Island Hotel and the Strath Taieri Hotel—tho report was rather unsatisfactory. In respect of the Strath Taieri Hotel _ there had been some after-hours tx-ading. The licensee had been warned by the police. The committee, however, could not take any more notice of tho matter further than to express regret that there, had boon occasion for such a With regard to Michael O’Halloran, licensee of the Green Island Hotel, tho police had reported that previous to tho last two months both ho and his wife had been drinking to excess. The police had warned him, and during tho last two months there had been no drinking by him. According to the police report tiic bouse itself bad always been conducted well. The committee did not propose to do anything in the matter, seeing that tho licensee had taken tho warning of tlio police. They desired to call his attention to section 104 of the Act. If ho did not act on tho warning of the police ho would incur the liability of having his license taken away. Mr A. C. Hanlon, who appeared on behalf of O’Halloran, said that there would ho no cause for further complaint. The committee adjourned till December 18.