LICENSING BENCH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 27 June 1924, Page 4

LICENSING BENCH.

ANDREW LAING’S APPLICATION. Before the Licensing Bench yesterday, Andrew Laing (Mr O’Dea) renewed his application for a certificate of fitness to conduct the Dominion Hotel. Air O’Dea said that Laing had had 22 years’ experience as a hotel licensee, and during that time he had only hud one conviction recorded against him, in fact this was the first time his application had been held up. His Worship pointed out that rattier an adverse report had been given by the Inglewood police when Laing had left that town to come to Hawera, ana he had been more or less on probation during his term as licensee of the Dominion Hotel. Constable Tocker said in evidence that since Laing had been licensee of the Dominion Hotel the police had had occasion to watch the premises more closely than had hitherto been the case. Drunken persons and men who drank heavily had been noticed hanging about the hotel after hours, but since, the application had been held up there had been a decided improvement. It appeared to have been the practice at thei hotel previously to take bottles outside to some convenient place and hand them to the purchaser. Constable Lemm corroborated the evidence given by Constable Tccker, and stated that while he had been on night duty he had watched the vicinity of the Dominion Hotel, and had noticed drunken persons and persons who took drink hanging about the garage opposite, on one occasion late as 3 a.m. He knew for a fact that drink had been consumed in the garage after hours. In reply to Afr O’Dea witness agreed that there had been a decided improvement since the certificate had been held up. His Worship said that on the evidence he could not take the extreme step of refusing the certificate, but he issued a general warning to licensees that the licensing laws were not to be held too cheaply, and were not for a game of catch-me-if-you-can with the oolice.